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Idaho Football

Idaho, Boise State to renew football rivalry in 2031

Idaho coach Thomas Ford Jr. and the Vandals sideline react during a win over St. Thomas on Sept. 6 at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow. (Courtesy of Idaho Athletics)
From staff reports

BOISE – Gem State football fans have been waiting 16 years for Idaho and Boise State to renew their football rivalry. They’ll only have to wait five more years.

On Thursday morning at the state capitol, Idaho Gov. Brad Little – standing in front of the old Governor’s Trophy, accompanied by the schools’ athletic directors and mascots – signed an executive order to reinstate the rivalry, announcing that the Vandals and Broncos will finally meet again on the gridiron. Idaho will travel to Boise for a Sept. 6, 2031, game at Albertsons Stadium.

“We know how much this game means for both fan bases and the entire Gem State,” Idaho athletic director Terry Gawlik said via release.

The former conference rivals haven’t played since a Kellen Moore-led Boise State team, ranked fourth in the nation, routed Idaho 52-14 at the Kibbie Dome to claim the Governor’s Trophy. The rivalry, which had been played every season from 1971-2010, then took an indefinite hiatus as the programs headed in different directions.

“Over time, conference realignment and shifting schedules have put many historic rivalries across the country on pause, including this one,” Little said. “Today I am excited to be reinstating this great tradition and recommissioning the Idaho Governor’s Trophy.”

The Broncos moved from the collapsing Western Athletic Conference to the Mountain West while the Vandals struggled to find stability in the Football Bowl Subdivision and eventually settled back in the Big Sky Conference of the Football Championship Subdivision, a conference the Vandals and Broncos had shared during the height of the rivalry.

Boise State has won the last 12 games in the series, a streak that coincided with the Broncos’ rise as a nationally notable program. But Idaho dominated the rivalry during the programs’ Big Sky days, winning 12 straight between 1982-93.

The Vandals clubbed the Broncos in Boise 62-16 in 1992 and 64-19 in 1996 for two of the Palouse school’s most celebrated wins. Idaho’s most recent win in the series is also one of the team’s most cherished moments – a 36-35 overtime victory in Boise that secured the 1998 Big West title for the Vandals.

Overall, Boise State leads the series 22-17-1.