ESPN Independents and Others Blog

Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson

Over the next week, I'll be breaking down things to watch for each team as it goes through spring football. Independents went up first this morning and now Conference USA. The MAC will appear on Feb. 16, the Mountain West on Feb. 17, the WAC on Feb. 19 and the Sun Belt on Feb. 20

EAST DIVISION

East Carolina Pirates

Spring practice starts: March 16

Spring game: April 18

What to watch

• Quarterback Patrick Pinkney is back for his sixth season after receiving a hardship waiver from the NCAA. He'll lead an offense that returns 10 starters.

• Tight end Davon Drew is gone as is backup J.R Kraemer. The tight end is a key figure in the Pirates offense and they'll need to find some help this spring.

• The Pirates return 20 starters from last year's Conference USA championship team and they'll be the frontrunners again this year.

Southern Miss Golden Eagles

Spring practice starts: March 9

Spring game: April 18

What to watch

• The Golden Eagles return almost all of their skill players from a team that won its final five games, including a thrilling win over Troy in the R+L Carriers Bowl.

• Wide receiver DeAndre Brown will miss spring football as he continues to recover from the broken leg he suffered in the bowl game. Brown led the nation's freshmen in receiving yards.

• Spring will give coach Larry Fedora and his staff a chance to refine an offensive system that took his team nearly half the year to catch onto, but when they did, it made Southern Miss one of the most efficient teams in the conference.

Memphis Tigers

Spring practice starts: March 24

Spring game: April 18

What to watch

• The Tigers lost their defensive coordinator to the Detroit Lions on Wednesday, so they'll be scrambling to fill the position with someone who has knowledge of the system. It's tough timing losing a key coach this close to spring practice.

• Quarterback Arkelon Hall played the last third of the season with an injured thumb and it showed in the passing game. Hall should be fully healed for spring, but he'll be breaking in almost an entirely new receiving corps.

• Both the offensive and defensive lines will have to be rebuilt with six of the top eight players lost to graduation. The biggest concern will be the offensive line especially since the running game carried the Tigers' offense through the back half of the season.

Marshall Thundering Herd

Spring practice starts: March 31

Spring game: April 25

What to watch

• Marshall had to replace several members of its coaching staff as many fled to other jobs in self-preservation. Coach Mark Snyder got the vote of confidence after 2008, but another sub-.500 season could push him out.

• Although top players wide receiver Darius Passmore and free safety C.J. Spillman are gone, there are several quality players remaining. The Thundering Herd were hampered by youth last season, but that shouldn't be a problem this year.

• Freshman quarterback Mark Cann had a tough year, especially down the stretch, and was benched in the final game of the season in favor of sophomore Brian Anderson. Anderson should be the starter when spring ball opens.

Central Florida Knights

Spring practice starts: March 19

Spring game: April 11

What to watch

• UCF played the 2008 season with a group of sophomores and freshmen on offense and those players will only get better with a spring under their belts. UCF could be a sleeper team offensively.

• The defense loses five starters, but none more important that safety Joe Burnett, who also served as the team's return specialist. He'll be difficult to replace.

• The emphasis this spring should be on quarterbacking as none of the Knights' quarterbacks played consistently. Freshman Rob Calabrese is the incumbent, but he's also the guy who passed for 6 yards in the final game of the season.

Alabama-Birmingham Blazers

Spring practice starts: March 18

Spring game: April 11

What to watch

• The Blazers return 18 starters, including every player from an offense that averaged 366.17 yards and 22.75 points per game.

• The emphasis this spring should be on a defensive line that ranked last in the conference (105th nationally) in sacks. All of the starters from last year's line return.

• Three of the four starters from the defensive secondary need to be replaced, including both safeties. Not sure if that's a bad thing considering the Blazers ranked 108th nationally in passing defense allowing 262.92 yards per game.

WEST DIVISION

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Spring practice starts: March 10

Spring game: April 18

What to watch

• For the second consecutive year, the Golden Hurricane will break in a new quarterback. However, sophomore Jacob Bower did play in every game, completing 11-of-14 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown.

• With Gus Malzahn gone to Auburn, Herb Hand, who was the co-offensive coordinator, takes sole possession of the offense. Although Hand didn't get a lot of the publicity, he was just as instrumental in making Tulsa one of the top offenses in the country.

• The Golden Hurricane return eight on defense, but it does have to replace two of the three members of its defensive line. Both end Un'Tavious Scott and guard Wilson Garrison have played and even started games during their careers.

Rice Owls

Spring practice starts: March 9

Spring game: April 28

What to watch

• Rice lost 58 percent of its scoring when quarterback Chase Clement, receiver Jarett Dillard and James Casey left. The Owls will need this spring to reload.

• Junior John Thomas Shepherd steps in at quarterback after spending the past three seasons behind Clement. He completed 8-of-15 passes last season, but he doesn't have the scrambling ability of his predecessor.

• The Owls lose just two members of their defense, which ranked 10th in the conference, but a lot of those struggles were because the offense would score quickly and the defense was on the field often. That philosophy isn't likely to change.

Houston Cougars

Spring practice starts: March 24

Spring game: April 18

What to watch

• The Cougars lose their entire defensive line, including star defensive end Philip Hunt. Houston's defense wasn't exactly stellar, though, allowing 413.46 yards per game.

• Quarterback Case Keenum, who led the country in total offense in 2008, returns with all of his receivers except tight end Mark Hafner. His offensive line does lose two members, including left tackle Sebastian Vollmer.

• Receiver Patrick Edwards, who finished third in receiving on the team despite breaking his leg against Marshall on Oct. 28, is not expected to participate in spring drills.

Texas El-Paso Miners

Spring practice starts: March 31

Spring game: May 2

What to watch

• The Miners defense spent most of the season adjusting to the attacking style of new defensive coordinator Osia Lewis and that's likely why it ranked 115th nationally in total defense. The defense was the difference in getting a bowl game, and the Miners will need to use the spring to get the system down.

• Quarterback Trevor Vittatoe was lost in a sea of great quarterbacks in Conference USA, but he led the nation's 14th-best offense. Everyone except tight end Jamar Hunt and running back Terrell Jackson returns.

• While UTEP was great in the air it never established the running game. The Miners lose top rusher Jackson, but return sophomore Donald Buckram, who was third on the team in rushing, and athlete James Thomas II, who was second in rushing with 351 yards.

Tulane Green Wave

Spring practice starts: March 31

Spring game: April 25

What to watch

• There was a moment early in the season, after Tulane rebounded from two losses to ranked teams, where it looked like the Green Wave was going to be good. That faded with eight straight losses and few of those games were close. Coach Bob Toledo needs to use the spring to get his team back.

• Tulane's biggest problem was scoring. Running back Andre Anderson, who was the bright spot of the team, returns as the leading (non-kicker) scorer, but he'll have an even tougher time picking up yards with star offensive lineman Troy Kropog gone.

• Three of the four members of the defensive line return, and they'll have to use the spring to get better at getting into the backfield. The Green Wave was last in the country in tackles for loss. However, Tulane did play two freshmen on the line, so a year of bulking up and training should do wonders.

SMU Mustangs

Spring practice starts: March 30

Spring game: April 25

What to watch

• Coach June Jones started nine freshmen last season, including Bo Levi Mitchell at quarterback, and the Mustangs struggled mightily. The good thing is that those players will be better for the experience as they enter their first spring.

• Offense was not a problem, the Mustangs ranked 17th nationally in passing offense, and all of those weapons return for Mitchell, including top receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Aldrick Robinson, who were suspended for the final two games of the 2008 season.

• Jones is known as an offensive guru, but it was the defense that really held the Mustangs back last season. SMU ranked 118th in total defense allowing 479.50 yards per game. The bulk of that was youth and inexperience and they might go through it again with four seniors leaving.