Idaho, Boise State agree to meet in football in 2031
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 1 month, 2 weeks AGO
Courtesy photo Officials (and mascots) from the University of Idaho, left, and Boise State join Governor Brad Little on the steps of the Idaho State Capitol in Boise on Thursday as Little announced Idaho and Boise State would meet on the football field in 2031 in Boise. The teams last played in 2010.
From staff reports, news services and The Idaho Statesman
For the first time in 21 seasons, Idaho and Boise State are scheduled to meet on the football field.
In an announcement at the Idaho state capitol, Governor Brad Little announced the Vandals and Broncos will meet Sept. 6, 2031, in Boise.
“We are excited to renew our rivalry with Boise State and get back on the football field in 2031,” Idaho athletic director Terry Gawlik said, in a U of I news release. “We know how much this game means for both fan bases and the entire Gem State. I am grateful for the work of our staff, led by Tim Mooney, and the cooperation of Bronco Athletics. Thank you to Jeremiah Dickey for working together on this and to President Scott Green and Interim President Jeremiah Shinn at Boise State for helping us finalize this agreement.”
The schools last met Nov. 12, 2010 at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, when Kellen Moore-led Boise State beat Idaho 52-14, when both were members of the FBS Western Athletic Conference.
Boise State left the following year for the Mountain West Conference.
Idaho dropped back down to the FCS level in 2018.
“One of the challenges was just trying to figure out what fit with both of our schedules. We’re inheriting an industry that was scheduling 5, 10, even 15 years out,” Boise State athletic director Jeramiah Dickey told reporters after the ceremony, the Idaho Statesman reported. “This was the earliest that I could get them on and based on their availability as well.”
Boise State boasts a 22-17-1 all-time record against the Vandals, including a current 12-game winning streak.
Idaho last beat the Broncos in 1998, a 36-35 overtime victory in Boise that propelled the Vandals to the Humanitarian Bowl.
The old rivals have played 20 times in Boise, splitting the series in Treasure Valley 10-10.
The two teams played yearly from 1971-2010. The programs were both members of the Big Sky Conference from 1971-95 and continued the series for 15 consecutive seasons when both schools joined the FBS ranks in 1996.
When Boise State joined the Western Athletic Conference in 2001, the Governor’s Trophy was created and has been in the Broncos’ possession since its inception.
The matchup will mark the second consecutive season that Boise State will play against an in-state opponent. The Broncos are set to host Idaho State on Sept. 7, 2030.
“If I’m going to continue to play an FCS opponent every year, I want to keep the money in the state,” Dickey said, according to The Idaho Statesman. “It doesn’t make sense for me to go outside the state and pay someone else to come in.
“So being able to pay Idaho and Idaho State,” he continued, “and keeping the money here and impacting them and creating the relationships that are important here … that’s important to me.”
Will Boise State continue to play the Vandals and Bengals after 2031? Dickey is open to it, but he’s not making any promises.
“I think it’s really positive to have both, but I don’t want to overpromise and underdeliver. The industry is continuing to change, and our scheduling philosophy could change in the future,” Dickey said. “At this point, we’re going to continue to play an FCS opponent every year, and we’ll have these scheduled out for the foreseeable future.”