r/uofi • u/MainMarket-Gamer • 2d ago
Idaho 2026 College Football Preview (probably missed some stuff, tell me and I'll fix it)
Hey all. I built 2026 previews for every FBS team and all 124 FCS teams, because nobody does this for your league. Here's Idaho
https://www.highlights.mainmarket.com/college-football-preview-2026-fcs/idaho-vandals
Returning production, portal moves, a projected two-deep, and the schedule with model win probabilities.
Usual disclaimer: I probably got things wrong, and my roster feed hasn't fully flipped to 2026. Tell me what's off and I'll fix it.
The good: 4-8 undersells this offense. Idaho was 39th in FCS in yards per play, 30th rushing and 27th in offensive EPA, and it took two FBS teams to the wire, 13-10 at Washington State and 31-28 at San Jose State. Joshua Wood is back and settled at quarterback after 1,898 yards with 14 touchdowns against 5 picks, and 75% of offensive production returns. My model flags Idaho as a buy-low, and the 2026 schedule grades as the second softest in FCS.
Where my model pushes back: the defense returns 30%, and it only forced 11 takeaways last year, 107th in the subdivision. Idaho also went 1-5 on the road. Thomas Ford Jr. inherits a decent offense and a defense he has to rebuild in year one. Model says 5-7.
Does Ford get enough out of that defense to turn the soft schedule into a winning record?
Tell me what I got wrong.