Independents 2024 College Football Primer: Top Players, Games, Transfers, Predictions

Independents College Football Primer: 24 for 2024, No. 19

24 Expanded CFP Explained
23 Best Teams To Not Make CFP
22 Meet The New Head Coaches
21 Expansion, Predictions, Who's Where?
20 One Big Thing: No Divisions

Independents Football Storylines

- Who are the Independents now? UConn. For the moment, that's really it. Army left to be a part of the American Athletic Conference, Notre Dame is living with the ACC but won't put a ring on it, and forced independents Oregon State and Washington State are hanging with the Mountain West while still desperately clinging to some weird notion of being the Pac-12, or Pac-2, or whatever.

For this year, UMass is an independent, but it's off to the MAC next season, so ... UConn. For the moment - thanks to being ghosted by the Big 12 after the Pac-12 imploded - that's the true lone wolf in the pack.

- Washington State and Oregon State are trying to figure it out. Totally hosed though the expansion process, Washington State and Oregon State were left without a business partner after the Big 12 chose not to expand even further - which sort of doesn't make a whole lot of sense considering it could have a piece of the Pacific Northwest with these two,

Instead, the revenue for Wazzu and Oregon State drop through the floor - former Pac-12 programs going to the Big 12 will make about 32ish million - as they both scramble. They were able to put together decent schedules, but the Cougars lost a slew of key players to the portal, and the Beavers lost just about everyone just when things were starting to kick in.

- Notre Dame continues to do what it does. Yeah, it could be a part of the ACC as a full-fledged member at anytime, but that's a sticky situation with top schools - Florida State, Clemson - trying to leave.

The Big Ten is (probably) the eventual spot for football when the Irish finally decide it wants to leave the single life, but for now, it has another strong schedule, the team is loaded, and there are enough good ACC games to make the affiliation matter.

Bold Predictions

- Oregon State won't be totally horrible and Washington State won't be that much worse - at least record-wise. Both still have a few nasty games to deal with, but not counting each other, Washington State only played two Power 4 teams - Washington and Texas Tech - and Oregon State gets Oregon, Purdue, and Cal.

The world will be rooting for the Beavers and Cougars - the winner of the head-to-head matchup will go bowling.

- Notre Dame will be terrific. The Marcus Freeman era has been building to this, and now the combination of recruiting and the transfer portal will come together with a team that should make it a seventh double-digit win season in the last eight yearsIn the end, though, this will be a top four team that can't make the top four in the new - conference champions only - expanded College Football Playoff. It'll easily make the CFP, though.

One massive difference from past seasons - this Irish team will have a real shot to do some damage.

- UConn will bounce back and go bowling for the second time in three seasons. Jim Mora Jr. and his staff have to piece it all together with the transfer portal proving to be a bit of a problem with lost personnel, but the addition of one-time Oklahoma-through-Wisconsin super-recruit QB Nick Evers is a help.

There are just enough winnable games to get to six wins, and then, after the season ... (remember, this is about "bold predictions") UConn will be announced as part of the ACC.

10 Best Independent Players

1. Benjamin Morris, CB Notre Dame Jr.
2. Riley Leonard, QB Notre Dame Sr.
3. Xavier Watts, S Notre Dame Sr.
4. Howard Cross, DT Notre Dame Sr.
5. Joshua Gray, OG Oregon State Sr.
6. Jack Kiser, LB Notre Dame Sr.
7. Mitchell Evans, TE Notre Dame Sr.
8. RJ Oben, EDGE Notre Dame Jr.
9. Kyle Thornton, LB Washington State Sr.
10. Jeremiyah Love, RB Notre Dame RFr.

10 Biggest Independent Games

1. Florida State at Notre Dame, Nov. 9
2. Notre Dame at USC, Nov. 30
3. Notre Dame at Texas A&M, Aug. 31
4. Oregon at Oregon State, Sept. 14
5. Washington State at Oregon State, Nov. 23
6. Louisville at Notre Dame, Sept. 28
7. Washington State at Washington, Sept. 14
8. Oregon State at Boise State, Nov. 30
9. Notre Dame at Georgia Tech, Oct. 19
10. UConn at UMass, Nov. 30

10 Top Independent Transfers

1. RJ Oben, EDGE Notre Dame (Duke)
2. Beaux Collins, WR Notre Dame (Clemson)
3. Kris Mitchell, WR Notre Dame (FIU)
4. Kobe Singleton, CB Oregon State (Liberty)
5. Jayden Harrison, WR Notre Dame (Marshall)
6. Jam Griffin, RB Oregon State (Ole Miss)
7. Ron Heard, CB Notre Dame (Northwestern)
8. Sai Vadrawale, CB Oregon State (Cal)
9. Anthony Hankerson, RB Oregon State (Colorado)
10. Kris Hutson, WR Washington State (Oregon)

Top Independent Quarterback Transfers

- Riley Leonard, Notre Dame (Duke)
- Nick Evers, UConn (Wisconsin)
- Deuce Hogan, UMass (Kentucky)
- Gevani McCoy (Idaho); or Gabarri Johnson, Oregon State (Missouri)
- Mel Brown, QB UConn (Gardner-Webb)

New Independent Head Coaches

- Trent Bray, Oregon State
He's sticking around to try picking up all the pieces from the loss of so much talent and head coach Jonathan Smith. This will be a work in progress. Meet Trent Bray