Independents
– Ind Weekly Schedule, Top Games To Watch
– Ind 2021 Pre-Spring Rankings & Breakdown
Army Black Knights
It’ll be another good team under Jeff Monken, and there’s a nice base of winnable games to all but lock in a bowl appearance before the Navy game. So it’s all about big game hunting against Wake Forest and at Wisconsin to make a whole lot of national noise, but watch out for the dates against Ball State and Liberty on the road.
2018: 11-2 2019: 5-8 2020: 9-3
Realistic Best Case Record: 10-2
Realistic Worst Case Record: 5-7
2021 Prediction, Spring Football Version: 8-4
Sept. 4 at Georgia State
Sept. 11 WKU
Sept. 18 UConn
Sept. 25 Miami University
Oct. 2 at Ball State
Oct. 9 OPEN DATE
Oct. 16 at Wisconsin
Oct. 23 Wake Forest
Oct. 30 OPEN DATE
Nov. 6 Air Force (in Arlington, TX)
Nov. 13 Bucknell
Nov. 20 UMass
Nov. 27 at Liberty
Dec. 4 OPEN DATE
Dec. 11 Navy (in East Rutherford, NJ)
– Full Schedule Analysis
BYU Cougars
Remember, last year BYU didn’t play any Power Five teams. It certainly wasn’t because of a lack of trying, but that certainly helped pump up the record. There’s no Zach Wilson around and now there are seven Power Five programs on the slate along with a tough road gambit Georgia Southern and home date with Boise State.
2018: 7-6 2019: 7-6 2020: 11-1
Realistic Best Case Record: 10-2
Realistic Worst Case Record: 5-7
2021 Prediction, Spring Football Version: 8-4
Sept. 4 Arizona (in Las Vegas)
Sept. 11 Utah
Sept. 18 Arizona State
Sept. 24 USF
Oct. 1 at Utah State
Oct. 9 Boise State
Oct. 16 at Baylor
Oct. 23 at Washington State
Oct. 30 Virginia
Nov. 6 OPEN DATE
Nov. 13 Idaho State
Nov. 20 at Georgia Southern
Nov. 27 at USC
– Full Schedule Analysis
Liberty Flames
Don’t be the slightest bit shocked if we’re underestimating the Flames here – 12-0 is absolutely possible considering almost everyone is back. Yeah, they can beat Syracuse – they rolled last year – and on the right day they could shock Ole Miss on the road. Assume a few misfires. like against Louisiana and maybe in a fight at UAB, but …
2018: 6-6 2019: 8-5 2020: 10-1
Realistic Best Case Record: 11-1
Realistic Worst Case Record: 6-6
2021 Prediction, Spring Football Version: 9-3
Sept. 4 Campbell
Sept. 11 at Troy
Sept. 18 Old Dominion
Sept. 24 at Syracuse
Oct. 2 at UAB
Oct. 9 Middle Tennessee
Oct. 16 at ULM
Oct. 23 at North Texas
Oct. 30 UMass
Nov. 6 at Ole Miss
Nov. 13 OPEN DATE
Nov. 20 Louisiana
Nov. 27 Army
– Full Schedule Analysis
New Mexico State Aggies
New Mexico State is getting the interesting advantage of playing a few spring games against FCS teams to build up the roster in a pumped up version of spring ball. It probably won’t matter against a schedule that’s not particularly tough, but should be hard to get past four wins if the Aggies don’t start with a win over UTEP.
2018: 3-9 2019: 2-10 2020: 1-1
Realistic Best Case Record: 4-8
Realistic Worst Case Record: 1-11
2021 Prediction, Spring Football Version: 2-10
Aug. 28 UTEP
Sept. 4 at San Diego State
Sept. 11 at New Mexico
Sept. 18 OPEN DATE
Sept. 25 Hawaii
Oct. 2 at San Jose State
Oct. 9 at Nevada
Oct. 16 Dixie State
Oct. 23 at Hawaii
Oct. 30 OPEN DATE
Nov. 6 Utah State
Nov. 13 at Alabama
Nov. 20 at Kentucky
Nov. 27 UMass
– Full Schedule Analysis
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Fighting Irish are no longer a full-on ACC team, but the toe is still dipped in the water with five games against the league – but Clemson isn’t a part of it. There isn’t a game on the slate they can’t win, but there are landmines all over the place like the trip to Chicago to face Wisconsin and home dates with USC, North Carolina and Cincinnati.
2018: 12-1 2019: 11-2 2020: 10-2
Realistic Best Case Record: 12-0
Realistic Worst Case Record: 7-5
2021 Prediction, Spring Football Version: 10-2
Sept. 5 at Florida State
Sept. 11 Toledo
Sept. 18 Purdue
Sept. 25 Wisconsin (in Chicago)
Oct. 2 Cincinnati
Oct. 9 at Virginia Tech
Oct. 16 OPEN DATE
Oct. 23 USC
Oct. 30 North Carolina
Nov. 6 Navy
Nov. 13 at Virginia
Nov. 20 Georgia Tech
Nov. 27 at Stanford
– Full Schedule Analysis
UConn Huskies
Yale, Holy Cross. Those have to be knocked down as wins, and then it’s all about the date at UMass. Everything else will take something special to get a win for a UConn program that’s still looking to find its place in the world. Not playing in 2020 didn’t help.
2018: 1-11 2019: 2-10 2020: 0-0
Realistic Best Case Record: 0-11
Realistic Worst Case Record: 2-10
2021 Prediction, Spring Football Version: 2-10
Aug. 28 at Fresno State
Sept. 4 Holy Cross
Sept. 11 Purdue
Sept. 18 at Army
Sept. 25 Wyoming
Oct. 2 at Vanderbilt
Oct. 9 at UMass
Oct. 16 Yale
Oct. 23 Middle Tennessee
Oct. 30 OPEN DATE
Nov. 6 OPEN DATE
Nov. 13 at Clemson
Nov. 20 at UCF
Nov. 27 Houston
– Full Schedule Analysis
UMass Minutemen
UMass is going to struggle to find wins anywhere outside of FCS games against Rhode Island and Maine. The hope will be to take down UConn at home, and maybe get past New Mexico State on the road at the end of the run. Everything else should be ugly.
2018: 4-8 2019: 1-11 2020: 0-4
Realistic Best Case Record: 5-7
Realistic Worst Case Record: 2-10
2021 Prediction, Spring Football Version: 3-9
Sept. 4 at Pitt
Sept. 11 Boston College
Sept. 18 Eastern Michigan
Sept. 25 at Coastal Carolina
Oct. 2 Toledo
Oct. 9 UConn
Oct. 16 OPEN DATE
Oct. 23 at Florida State
Oct. 30 at Liberty
Nov. 6 Rhode Island
Nov. 13 Maine
Nov. 20 at Army
Nov. 27 at New Mexico State
– Full Schedule Analysis
2021 Early College Football Predictions, Schedules
ACC | American Athletic | Big Ten
Big 12 | C-USA | Independents
MAC | Mountain West | Pac-12
SEC | Sun Belt