Idaho to Renew Football Rivalry with Boise State

Boise, Idaho — The most anticipated hiatus in Gem State football is coming to an end. During a Thursday-morning ceremony in downtown Boise, Governor Brad Little—joined by mascots Joe Vandal and Buster Bronco, Idaho athletic director Terry Gawlik and Boise State counterpart Jeremiah Dickey—announced that the Idaho Vandals and Boise State Broncos will meet on the gridiron for the first time since 2010.

The date is already circled: Sept. 6, 2031, inside Albertsons Stadium in Boise. That contest will break a 16-season pause in a series that dates to 1971 and will serve as the 41st all-time meeting between the former conference foes.

“We are excited to renew our rivalry with Boise State and get back on the football field in 2031,” Gawlik said in a release distributed moments after the governor’s remarks. “We know how much this game means for both fan bases and the entire Gem State.”

Boise State owns a 22-17-1 advantage overall, but the momentum has swung wildly through the decades. Idaho’s golden era stretched from the late 1980s into the 1990s, when the Vandals reeled off 12 consecutive victories, including the memorable 62-16 and 64-19 routs in Boise in 1992 and 1996. The Broncos flipped the script beginning in 1999; they have not lost to UI since, stacking 12 straight wins and outscoring the Vandals by comfortable margins. The most recent clash—Nov. 12, 2010, in Moscow—ended with Boise State posting a 52-14 victory.

Of the 20 games previously staged in Boise, each program has claimed 10, setting the stage for a winner-take-all atmosphere when the rivalry resumes in seven seasons.

Tickets are not yet on sale, but administrators from both schools predict a sell-out crowd once the 2031 schedule is finalized. For now, fans on either side of Highway 95 can begin the countdown to a reunion long thought to be permanently shelved.