Although there are only 3 Division I-FBS Independents left, there will be plenty of fantasy talent available at those schools.

The Independent school that has piqued the most interest is Notre Dame, as they bring in new head coach Brian Kelly (photo, thanks, Scout.com).  Kelly has produced potent offenses, and winning teams, while at Central Michigan and (most recently) Cincinnati….and could put some spark into a Fighting Irish offense that could use a little more consistency.

Meanwhile, Navy and Army will continue to run their option offenses, giving fantasy players some running, fantasy-worthy QBs Read the rest of this entry →

If the option offense was a naval fleet, then Navy QB Ricky Dobbs is it Admiral.

The Midshipmen QB is our Fantasy College Blitz 2009 Independent Fantasy Player of the Year, and highlights the FCB 2009 Independent All-Fantasy Team.

Dobbs (photo, thanks Scout.com), a junior from Douglasville, GA (Douglas County HS), led the Middies with 786 yards rushing and 22 rushing TDs, while throwing for 752 yards and another 4 TDs (stats through November 21st games).

With his 22 rushing TDs, and, with three games left to go in the 2009 season (including a bowl game for bowl-eligible Navy), Dobbs is on track to break…possibly shatter…the NCAA FBS record for rushing TDs in a single-season by a QB (tied with current Florida QB Tim Tebow, who rushed for 22 TDs in 2007).

Dobbs, however, is more than just stats.  He led the Middies to an upset of Notre Dame in South Bend a few weeks ago.  Also, in the season opener, Dobbs and Navy nearly pulled one of the biggest upsets of the decade, losing 30-26 to Ohio State in Columbus.

Joining Dobbs on the Independent All-Fantasy Team are… Read the rest of this entry →

In one of the worst kept secrets of the Coaching Hot Seat Season (coincides with baseball’s Hot Stove), my forensic analysis of media reports and my intuition to tie it all together comes to only one conclusion:

"Charlie, if Notre Dame got the wrong guy to go 6-5, do you call yourself an improvement at 6-6?" YYYYEEEEAAAHHHH!

Charlie Weis is out as the head coach of Notre Dame by the end of November. A regular Lt Horatio Crane I am…

I know I am not breaking any new ground here – but let’s lay out the facts before dropping names of his successor:

• Charlie Weis record is very similar to the records of predecessors who were shown the door. Weis is 35-26. Tyrone Willingham 21-15. Bob Davie 35-25. That would be acceptable at UTEP or Baylor, not Notre Dame. And also recall, George O’Leary was 0-0.
• After the Pitt game, Coach cancelled the usual Sunday press conference due to “late travel arrival” According to local beat writer Scott Novak, Sunday pressers get postponed, but never cancelled.
• His conference Monday sound like a man resigned to his forced resignation.
• Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick lets Weis know that he should return home after the Stanford matchup, rather than his usually scheduled recruiting trip through the West. You know, just to talk about the season, and the future direction of the program. The $4-to-$18 million buyout.

So who is next to lead the Fighting Irish? BoDog put odds on that, so let’s see what the wisdom of crowds says: Read the rest of this entry →

There may be only three Division I-FBS Independents in college football, however, that does not mean a lack of fantasy prospects for your roster.

In fact, with the re-emergence of offense at Notre Dame…..the new coaching staff at Army installing a proven, productive, triple-option offense….and the usual “300 yards and a cloud of dust” ground game at Navy, the Division I-FBS Independents will have much more fantasy impact in 2009 than they had, collectively, in previous seasons. Read the rest of this entry →