After watching the Missouri game on Saturday, fears of the Vandals not making an appearance in the post season grow.
It is a hard pill to swallow, especially because of the expectations the football team had going into this season after a memorable bowl game win last season. The Vandals are currently on a three-game losing streak and have a 2-5 record. In order to be bowl eligible, Idaho needs to win four of their next five games.
Idaho winning four of the next five is entirely possible, but it is not that realistic given the way the offense is playing. There have been sparks from Idaho’s offense all season which proves how dangerous they can be, but consistency has been the Vandals’ downfall.
Pass blocking has been a huge issue which has led to Idaho’s stagnant offense this season, and is one huge area where the Vandals need to improve quickly. A stable offense leads to the defense being on the field less and gives them time to rest and recover.
The way the schedule is for the rest of the season the Vandals have a chance, but all the pieces of the Vandal football team have to come together. Unfortunately, it is just hard to imagine.
Every week from now until the end of the season is a crucial game for the Vandals if they want to play in December, and with three out of the five games being on the road, it is not looking too much in the favor of the Vandals.
Many games this season which were an expected Vandal win were lost, and the games that Idaho came swinging were dropped.
Inconsistent play all year is what leaves a bitter taste moving into the remainder of the season, with little hope it is going to play out well for Idaho.
You never really know what you are going to get when watching the Vandals this year. One second they prove all the doubters wrong, and then the next second you have no idea what happened to the Vandals that knew how to win games.
This coming week, Idaho plays at home against Louisiana-Monroe in a game which should be fun to watch, but it is hard to be positive that Idaho will come out with a guaranteed win. From here on out there is no such thing as a guaranteed win.
I never know which team I’m going to be watching come kickoff, and that is what makes this season so frustrating.
Now I hope that I get proved wrong. I hope that the Vandals win out the regular season and I can reflect on these feelings and laugh. For many fans of the team, seeing Idaho make bowl berth in its final season of the FBS would be a dream come true, but it is time to face the facts that fans should not be surprised if Idaho does not play in December. Maybe it is time to look to the future in the FCS and hope that the Vandals can make some noise come next year. Unfortunately, this year’s hopes of a bowl berth are quickly going out the door.
Chris Deremer can be reached at [email protected]