If the Idaho program is going to be turned around, it has the right coach to give it a shot.

Nick Holt appeared to be on his way to making the Vandals a living, breathing football team again for the first time since the late 1990s. He suffered through growing pains by playing several young players who weren't close to being ready, and he brought in the school's most highly regarded recruiting class in years to add more depth and provide hope for the future. And then he bolted to take his old job back as the defensive coordinator at USC.

While the timing of Holt's sudden departure might have been jarring, it also might have been a blessing in disguise since it meant the eventual hiring of Dennis Erickson, one of the more underrated college head coaches over the last several years.

How many times do you get a chance to get a head coach with two national titles on his résumé? Erickson not only helped keep the train rolling at Miami from 1989 to ‘94, he also made Oregon State a powerhouse for a brief period and was great for Washington State. Of course, he made his initial mark at Idaho — where he had a 32-15 record from 1982 to ‘85.

Is it possible Erickson's return to Idaho can have the same effect as Chris Ault's return to Nevada a few years ago? It'll take a little while, but Erickson has certainly generated plenty of excitement with his four and five wide receiver sets and sophisticated offense that should provide a consistency that hasn't been there in years. The return of QB Steven Wichman for his senior season gives Erickson a veteran to run the attack, and the running game should finally get going again with Jayson Bird coming back from a collarbone injury.

However, the big problem for Idaho has been its defense allowing 39 points per game over the last two seasons. There's hope for a bit of an improvement with the lumps taken by playing so many young defensive lineman over the last few seasons about to pay off. The corners are potentially good, and there's good overall speed everywhere else.

For a program that has won a total of 11 games over the last five years, baby steps will have to be taken. This isn't going to be a night-and-day turnaround team, but it should be explosive; and it should be a fun show to watch.

The Schedule: It's not bad at all considering there's only three bowl teams from last year to deal with, and they're all in the WAC. Fine, so the Vandals won't win at Michigan State, at Washington State, or at Oregon State, but there's no reason they can't equal the two wins of last year by the end of September playing Idaho State and at Utah State. A home game against New Mexico State needs to be a must-win considering the second half of the slate is nasty before getting San Jose State at home.

What you need to know on offense ... It'll be fun to watch. Head coach Dennis Erickson and offensive coordinator Dan Cozzetto are going to run a variety of formations using four and five wide sets with wild pass patterns — making life a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators to figure out. The key will be the play of QB Steven Wichman, who has the arm and experience to put up huge numbers. The receiving corps isn't special, but there are several options to keep a good rotation going. The ground game won't be neglected with the return of Jayson Bird from a collarbone injury to team up with bruising Rolly Lumbala. The line is experienced and should be solid if everyone is healthy.

Best Offensive Player: Sophomore RB Jayson Bird. QB Steven Wichman will put up ridiculous, top 10 passer numbers in the new offense, but Bird is the dangerous player who'll give life to the nation's 117th ranked running game. He's a big back with tremendous speed and potential now that he's healthy after breaking his collarbone in the second game of last season.

What you need to know on defense ... Ex-head coach Nick Holt was a defensive coordinator by nature and didn't leave the cupboard bare with decent prospects from a D that got rolled over by everyone. There's plenty of speed but little size just about everywhere. The corners could use a bit of a pass rush to take the pressure off, and they'll get it with the defensive line looking far and away more disruptive than it was last year. The linebacking corps will be a work in progress building around Josh Bousman on the outside.

Best Defensive Player: Junior SS D.J. Dykes. The 6-foot-3, 202-pound junior is a big, consistent hitter who has played like a free safety in pass coverage. He'll be the leader of the back seven early on and a steadying force for a pass defense that got dinked and dunked on for 238 yards per game.

Key player to a successful season: Quarterback QB Steven Wichman. There are good options behind Wichman, but they're untested and could use a year of seasoning. The senior has to be a sharp leader of the new attack and has to be the type of quarterback who can handle all that'll be thrown at him. He'll have huge, 400-yard games here and there, but he has to cut down on his interceptions.

The season will be a success if ... Idaho wins at least four games and pulls off one good upset. Considering Idaho hasn't won more than three games since 2000, four wins would be a nice first step back. Just as important will be the play against the better teams. There was a close battle with Louisiana Tech last year, but the Vandals lost to Nevada, Fresno State and Boise State by a combined score of 172-59, or an average of 57-20.

Key game: Oct. 21 vs. Boise State. Idaho has lost seven straight to the Broncos by a total of 353 to 124, or an average of 50.4 to 17.7. It's not like there's a fierce recruiting war for Idaho talent, but Dennis Erickson has to close the gap between the two programs and show that the Vandals won't be a pushover anymore for the WAC's top power.

2005 Fun Stats:
- Rushing yards per game: Opponents 183.3 - Idaho 78.4
- Yards per punt return: Opponents 13.1 - Idaho 6.1
- Sacks: Opponents 34 for 229 yards - Idaho 19 for 125 yards