Boise State announces a historic in-state rivalry is back. But fans face a wait

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — The Boise State vs. Idaho Vandals football rivalry is finally coming back… in half a decade.

Standing in front of the silver and gold-plated Governor’s Trophy on Thursday morning, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed an executive order at the Idaho Capitol to reinstate a rivalry that was played annually for almost four decades.

“Over time, conference realignment and shifting schedules have put many historic rivalries across the country on pause, including this one,” Little said. “But today, with the executive order that I will sign, we are re-instituting this great rivalry and recommissioning Idaho’s Governor’s Trophy.”

“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 Jeremiah Dickey told reporters after the ceremony. “This was the earliest that I could get them on and based on their availability as well.”

Boise State and Idaho played their first football game in 1971, with the visiting Vandals defeating the Broncos 42-14 in Boise. The game would be played annually until 2010, with Boise State holding a 22-17 advantage over Idaho — there was also a 31-31 tie in 1975.

The Vandals enjoyed a huge 12-game win streak over the Broncos from 1982 to 1993 before the tide slowly started to turn. Boise State returned the favor, winning 12 straight games from 1999 to 2010.

Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne established the Governor’s Trophy in 2001, with the idea that the winning team would get to keep the trophy. But since that final game in 2010, a 52-14 win for Boise State at the Kibbie Dome, the trophy has gathered dust in Boise State’s trophy cabinet.

“Today, we celebrate not just a game, but a tradition that unites our state, honors our history, and showcases the very best of Idaho,” Little said. “On a personal note, I’m trying to think how many of these games I’ve been to; some I was pretty happy about.”

Little attended the University of Idaho throughout the mid-70s and was there for the Vandals’ 16-9 win in 1976.

The move to revive the rivalry is part of Dickey’s larger goal to not only bring football rivalries back to Idaho but also keep money within the state. Boise State also announced last October that it would host Idaho State for a game in 2030 — the two teams have only played three times since the turn of the century and not once since 2015.

“If I’m going to continue to play an FCS opponent every year, I want to keep the money in the state,” Dickey said. “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 both 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.”