College football's three independent teams are in a bit of an awkward spot. Most of the time, each is on an island, but occasionally they're grouped together.
The latter is the case in a story by Paul Myerberg of USA Today, which previews the 2015 seasons of Notre Dame, BYU and Army.
The Fighting Irish are predicted to be the best of the bunch, followed by the Cougars and then the Black Knights. Notre Dame and BYU dominate the preseason All-Independent team, as just three Army players appear on the 25-man list.
As far as the Cougars are concerned, Taysom Hill is expected to be the best quarterback of any on the three teams. Despite its preseason struggles in the punting game, BYU expected to have the best special teams unit of the three squads. Its offensive line is on par with the Fighting Irish's.
"After early losses to Boise State and UCLA, the Cougars roll off eight victories in a row to end the regular season at 10-2," the story predicts as BYU's best-case outcome.
Worst case?
"BYU feasts on the weak slice of its schedule but fails to notch a single win of national consequence in an 8-4 regular season."
Utes' Pac-12 rise examined
Although the University of Utah and TCU had some intense battles on the gridiron while both were members of the Mountain West Conference, those showdowns likely won't be how the Utes and Horned Frogs are linked in college football's grand scheme of things.
In a story by Ted Miller of ESPN.com, the moves of the two schools from the "non-BCS" MWC to the Pac-12 and Big 12, respectively, is examined.
The squads have been on a similar track, as they each went from making a splash on the national scene to trying to survive as little fish in bigger ponds. The pair broke through in 2014, however, and both are primed for good things in 2015.
"I think our fans are now sitting here going, 'OK. We belong. We can do this.' That's the feeling," Utah athletic director Chris Hill said.
Kirilenko receives (fake) AK-47
In one of the more clever choices of jersey number, former Utah Jazz All-Star forward Andrei Kirilenko of Russia wore No. 47 throughout his NBA career, and quickly became known as AK-47 in reference to the Russian rifle.
Last week during a visit to his hometown of Izhevsk, Kirilenko was given a model of the weapon as a gift from a government official. Kirilenko had first given the official a Brooklyn Nets jersey.
The exchange was captured on video.
Ryan McDonald is a sports reporter at DeseretNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ryanwmcdonald.