Vandal game day in Moscow
It’s early in the season, but not too early to start gauging Idaho’s chances at cobbling together the necessary six or sevens wins to become bowl eligible. On that count, last week’s puzzling performance in a loss to Bowling Green did real damage. But Robb Akey, with the long term in mind too, wonders if the setback “could be an inspirational deal for us.”
More about the Vandals, the most winnable games on the schedule, and their game with North Dakota today at 2 p.m. below.
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Here’s my preview of the game with North Dakota for the SR. The Fighting Sioux look like a better team than last year, when UI thumped them 45-0. And remember, UND had five turnovers in that game and Idaho recovered an onside kick to start the second half after Akey was unhappy with the team’s effort in the second quarter.
So perhaps today’s rematch won’t be so one-sided. Or maybe it will.
But what about Idaho’s rest of the schedule?
The next three weeks should be tricky enough — at No. 7 Texas A&M, home to Fresno State and a cross-country trip to Virginia.
If you look beyond Oct. 1, however, you realize the Vandals might only be favored to win against two — maybe three — opponents the rest of the season. The most winnable games after today: New Mexico State on Oct. 15 and San Jose State on Nov. 5. But both of those game are on the road.
The other ones that looked promising before the season were Louisiana Tech (Oct. 8) and Utah State (Nov. 19). Both those are at home. But here’s the thing: Utah State nearly pulled off a stunner at Auburn last week (of course, it also nearly upset Oklahoma last year too before struggling), and Louisiana Tech lost by two to Southern Miss.
If Utah State stays healthy — or healthier than last year — it could be the most improved team in the WAC. (Said coach Gary Anderson after last week against Auburn, “It’s not a moral victory. We’re way beyond that.”) And Louisiana Tech’s athleticism typically is an issue for the Vandals; the Bulldogs have scored 48, 34 and 46 points against UI the last three years, winning twice.
So … the point all of this is to say that Idaho is going to have to register at least one or two surprising wins to get to the six-win mark.
We’ll have more from Moscow during and after today’s game. Follow along on Twitter if you like — @SR_JoshWright.