Idaho

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The Boise State rivalryIdaho: the fanbase's identity shifting.our read

Big Sky · Kibbie Dome · 16,000 · 9,015 avg in 2026

The nationunrankedAP / Coaches
The marketno line yetvs Abilene Christian · our model 46% Idaho · a number, not a pick

LastL 17–23 vs Lamar · Sat Sep 12 · Joshua Wood 205 pass yds, 50 rush yds, 1 TD

Nextvs Abilene Christian · Sat Sep 19 · 4 pm ET · Kibbie Dome · series 1-0 · Game preview

Updated Tue Sep 15 · through week 2

Program Prestige · Idaho

Power Program

Power Program — consistent P4 presence and regional brand strength.

T1Regional
T2Mid-Major
T3Power
T4National
T5Blue Blood
T6Dynasty
T7All-Time
The era · 2014 through 2025

The CFP Era

11 seasons inside the CFP era, no bids yet — the era the program is still trying to break into.

Era record 61-72 11 seasons
Best season 10-4 2024
TRAJECTORY · quality-score line · AP rank dotted · CFP bids marked · coach regimes ribboned
Program Quality AP Rank (inverted) CFP Appearance
'14'16'18'22'24NOW
CHAPTERS · 11 seasons · tap to open the archive
'14 — '15 4-8 '16 9-4 '17 4-8 '18 — '19 5-7 '21 — '22 7-5 '23 9-4 '24 10-4 '25 4-8

Idaho's 2014–2025 record is 61-72. The era is still being written; the CFP line is the one the program is arguing for.

Era win %
.458
Ranked seasons (AP)
0/11
Best AP finish
—

Program outlook

Idaho was once a college football postseason fixture, got pushed out of FBS by economics, and is now rebuilding in the Big Sky — where the Kibbie Dome and Moscow's loyalty are both anchor and test.

Read the full essay — 4 more paragraphs

The 1985–1995 era was Idaho's peak: 10 NCAA Division I-AA playoff appearances in 11 seasons. John L. Smith won 53 games (still the program record), captured two Big Sky Conference co-championships, and reached the national semifinals in 1991. John Friesz was the 1989 Walter Payton Award winner — the first quarterback in I-AA history to win it — throwing for over 4,000 yards and 31 touchdowns in his senior season. Those teams proved that a small-market program with infrastructure and city loyalty could compete nationally.

Idaho spent over a decade in FBS (Sun Belt Conference) but couldn't sustain the economics. The university made only $19.6 million in athletic revenue in 2014–15, the lowest in FBS. In March 2016, the Sun Belt exercised a clause and dropped Idaho and New Mexico State. Before the transition took hold, the Vandals posted one final moment of FBS glory: the 2016 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, a 61–50 shootout victory over Colorado State that set records for second-half scoring. Quarterback Matt Linehan was the MVP. It was bittersweet — the last hurrah before the move to FCS in 2018.

The transition was reframed as a 'return home' to the Big Sky, but it was experienced as displacement. Idaho spent most of its existence in FCS and built its golden age there; the FBS era was the outlier. Jason Eck arrived in 2022 and compiled 26–13 over three seasons, restoring playoff competence. He left for the University of New Mexico in December 2024, immediately leading UNM to a bowl. Thomas Ford, promoted from within, went 4–8 in his first year (2025), 2–6 in Big Sky play, and missed the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2021 — a season marked by injuries and missed opportunities rather than incompetence.

The 2026 rebuild opened rocky and has only gotten rockier: a 38-34 loss at Cal Poly as a 5.5-point favorite, a 66-14 blowout loss at Utah, and then a 23-17 home loss to Lamar as a 4.5-point favorite — Idaho's second defeat as the betting favorite in three games to open the season. The 0-3 start looms larger than any single record: whether Ford can stabilize the roster, return Idaho to the postseason, and prove that the Kibbie Dome and Moscow's loyalty — concentrated in a college town of ~25,000 — are sufficient anchors. In 2031, Idaho and Boise State renew their Governor's Trophy rivalry for the first time in 21 years. Boise State dominated the matchup since 2001 after Idaho owned it 1982–1993. That renewal will tell whether Idaho has climbed back or fallen further behind.

On the field

Idaho's offense is rebuilding from a roster affected by transfers and injuries; the defensive identity leans on home-field advantage and the Kibbie Dome's acoustic environment, which visiting offenses historically struggle against. The 2026 identity is about stabilization: proving that depth and health can return the Vandals to competitive form and that the infrastructure — a dedicated fan base, a distinctive indoor stadium, a coaching staff with FCS pedigree — is sufficient for sustained Big Sky success.

program outlook · as of 2026-09-14

All-time record · Idaho

Idaho has won 36% of its games since 1908 — 52% at home, 25% on the road.

319-541-17 all-time · 109 seasons · 1908–2026

Home 193-171-8
Away 123-370-9
Neutral 3-0
1 g 1900s
25% 1910s
46% 1920s
39% 1930s
29% 1940s
32% 1950s
35% 1960s
36% 1970s
36% 1980s
60% 1990s
26% 2000s
31% 2010s
52% 2020s

Coaching Era · Idaho

Paul Petrino

Paul Petrino has held the program for 4 seasons — the era is established.

Era Paul Petrino · 2014–presentOC: Kris CinkovichDC: Mike BreskePrev DC: Ronnie Lee (2014)
The full CFP-era story →The full coaching lineage →
4 years · era

Program memory

What this program never forgets

Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.

The 1991 national semifinal run

John L. Smith leads the Vandals to the NCAA Division I-AA national semifinals, the highest achievement in modern program history

1993

The 12-game Governor's Trophy streak vs. Boise State

Idaho completes a 12-consecutive-win streak against Boise State (1982–1993), establishing dominance in the intra-state rivalry

The 2016 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Idaho defeats Colorado State 61–50 in a record-breaking shootout, the program's third bowl victory and the final FBS-era win before the 2018 transition

The 2016 FBS-to-FCS transition announcement

The Sun Belt drops Idaho and New Mexico State; Idaho returns to the Big Sky and FCS in 2018, becoming the first FBS program ever to voluntarily step down

Wound

The 2025 season collapse and restart

Thomas Ford's inaugural year as head coach: 4–8, 2–6 Big Sky, missed playoffs for first time since 2021; a test of fanbase faith and program resilience

Wound

Moment of the season — so far · Idaho · 2026

Lost 14-66 at Utah

Week 1 of 2026. A reckoning loss — the data point the next season must answer.

Decisive Marginvs AP #21

More in this tab

ConferenceWhere this team sits in this season's conference standings.

Big Sky standing · 2026

10th in the Big Sky

Idaho is 10th of 13 in the Big Sky at 0-1. The path to the title is steep — the focus is on bowl access and rivalry wins.

#ProgramRecord
1Montana2-0
2Cal Poly1-0
3Montana State1-0
4Northern Arizona1-0
5UC Davis1-0
6Southern Utah1-1
7Weber State1-1
–Idaho State0-0
9Eastern Washington0-1
10Idaho0-1
11Northern Colorado0-1
12Portland State0-1
13Utah Tech0-2
Coaching historyEvery hire and departure on record, not just the current era.

Coaching history

  • Paul Petrino departs19-41, 5 seasons
  • Hired Paul Petrino2013
  • Dennis Erickson departs4-8, 1 season
  • Hired Dennis Erickson2006
  • Nick Holt departs5-18, 2 seasons
  • Hired Nick Holt2004
  • Chris Tormey departs27-18, 4 seasons
  • Hired Chris Tormey1996
Coordinator lineageOffense and defense under each coordinator.

Unit lineage

Idaho’s offense and defense, by coordinator

FBS-relative efficiency percentile per season (2014–2026), same population as the Coordinator Mirror board. Dashed vertical lines mark a coordinator change.

Offense2014–2017
2014201620182020202220242026
2014–2017 · Kris Cinkovich
Defense2014–2017
2014201620182020202220242026
2014 · Ronnie Lee2015–2017 · Mike Breske
Elite (≥70th pct)AveragePoor (≤30th pct)
Gameday customsThe gameday customs unique to this program.

Rituals

Three gameday rituals — the ones outsiders never quite catch.

The Kibbie Dome

since 1971

more

Opened in 1971 as an open-air stadium, then covered with a barrel-arched roof in 1975, the Kibbie Dome is one of college football's most distinctive venues—a 15,250-seat indoor facility that ESPN once called 'a giant beer can on its side.' The dome itself is a character: it shapes Idaho's identity as a mountain program playing football indoors, insulating the team from Moscow winters while creating an intimate home environment. The dome has hosted three bowl victories (1998, 2009, 2016) and remains the physical anchor of Vandal football.

The John L. Smith Era

since 1989

more

John L. Smith, winningest coach in program history with 53 victories (1989–1994), compiled a 53–21 record and led the Vandals to two Big Sky Conference co-championships (1990, 1991) and three consecutive NCAA Division I-AA playoff appearances (1990–1992), advancing to the national semifinals in 1991. His tenure defined the golden age and set the standard all subsequent coaches are measured against.

Dennis Erickson's Turnaround

since 1982

more

Dennis Erickson (1982–1985) was the first Vandal head coach since 1938 to achieve consecutive winning seasons and the first in program history with four straight. He led Idaho to the 1985 Big Sky Conference title and back-to-back NCAA Division I-AA playoff appearances (1982, 1985), transforming a moribund program into a national-level competitor and laying the groundwork for Smith's dynasty to follow.

Cultural identityWhat college football loses if this program didn't exist.
BowlsEvery bowl this program's played, and how it did.

Bowl / Postseason Ledger

Recent postseason (2016-2023): 2-1

Most recent: 2023 — loss 22-30 (home). Last 5 postseason: 2-1.

202320232016
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