Idaho vs Northern Arizona Prediction, Preview, Line & How to Watch

• It’s a battle in the Big Sky when Northern Arizona hosts Idaho tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET in Flagstaff.
• The Vandals are 4.5-point underdogs but are soaring again with the return of QB Joshua Wood.
• Check out my Idaho vs Northern Arizona prediction, preview, line and how to watch this Friday night FCS showdown.

Two teams that started the season in the FCS Top 10 meet when No. 21 Northern Arizona (5-3, 3-5 ATS) greets visiting Idaho (3-5, 3-5 ATS) tonight on ESPN2 with a 10:30 pm ET kickoff.

Idaho has won 12 of the last 14 meetings and beat the Lumberjacks 23-17 last season in Moscow. It’s the first time Northern Arizona has been on a linear TV network since 1988.

I’ve got the complete Idaho vs Northern Arizona prediction along with the preview, line and how to watch info for this Big Sky clash.

Idaho vs Northern Arizona Prediction

• Northern Arizona -4.5 (-113 at FanDuel)

• Under 54.5 (-113 at FanDuel)

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It’s a big deal to have a national TV audience in Northern Arizona. Walkup Skydome has a capacity of just over 11,000, and it will be a big crowd.

I like the Northern Arizona defense to make some plays. The Lumberjacks feature a good linebacker combo in Travis Arena (team-high 56 tackles) and Brandon Wong (6.5 tackles for loss). Wide receiver Kolbe Katsis has 38 catches for 599 yards and five scores.

I also lean toward the under because Idaho’s defense is outstanding as well. Dylan Layne (54) and Isiah King (53) are the team’s top two tacklers. Matyus McLain is often an issue, ranking second in the Big Sky with 10.0 TFLs. McLain also leads the team with 3.0 sacks.

My Idaho vs Northern Arizona prediction is backing the home team to cover and the under to hit in this defensive battle.

Idaho vs Northern Arizona Preview

Both teams were considered Big Sky Conference contenders entering the season. Idaho’s dropoff is more notable in this Idaho vs Northern Arizona preview. The Vandals are led by QB Joshua Wood, a transfer from Fresno State. He suffered a sprained knee and missed two games (both losses). He came back in the win over Portland State and threw four TD passes in the first half. He’s thrown for 1,186 yards this season.

Idaho’s defense ranks second in the Big Sky in total defense and third in points allowed at 24.6.

Northern Arizona is coming off a 31-18 win over Idaho State. QB Ty Pennington is the 10th leading passer in FCS with 1,973 yards. He only threw for 2,288 last season. Northern Arizona uses three running backs: Seth Cromwell, Quran Gossett and Darvon Hubbard, each with 30 carries or more.

Both teams have relatively new coaches. Brian Wright is in his second year at Northern Arizona, coming over from Pittsburgh State, and he took the Lumberjacks to the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2017 last season. Idaho saw Jason Eck leave for New Mexico after last season and hired former Washington assistant Thomas Ford Jr.

Idaho vs Northern Arizona Line

Odds as of Friday morning on FanDuel. Get running at FanDuel with our special FanDuel promo code.

The Idaho vs Northern Arizona line at both Fanatics and FanDuel are similar, with Northern Arizona a 4.5-point favorite. The total is 54.5 at FanDuel and 55.5 at Fanatics.

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Idaho has been favored in its last three games but has only won one straight up. Its last two games have hit the under, and the Vandals are 4-4 over/under this season.

Northern Arizona is also 4-4 over/under this season. They haven’t beaten Idaho since 2021. They had lost four straight before taking down Portland State 45-6 last week, affecting the Idaho vs Northern Arizona line movement.

Idaho vs Northern Arizona How to Watch

Wondering how to watch Idaho vs Northern Arizona? This game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and on the ESPN+ platform online. As I write this on Friday morning, YouTube TV is fighting with Disney/ESPN to show their games/events, so if you’re a YouTube TV subscriber, you may be out of luck. Your best chance will be through the ESPN app.

For those looking to watch Idaho vs Northern Arizona, kickoff is set for 10:30 pm ET from Flagstaff, Arizona.