The Idaho Vandals are the college football team that represents the University of Idaho and plays its home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on the university's Moscow, Idaho campus. Idaho is a member of the Big Sky Conference in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Vandals are coached by Thomas Ford.

The Idaho football program began in 1893, and through the 2019 season, the Vandals have an all-time record of They have played in three bowl games in their history, all victories in the Humanitarian/Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise in 1998, 2009, and 2016. As a Division I-AA (FCS) program for 18 seasons Idaho made the playoffs eleven times and advanced to the national semifinals twice (1988, 1993).

On April 28, 2016, university president Chuck Staben announced the football program would return to the Big Sky and FCS in 2018. This followed the Sun Belt Conference's announcement on March 1 that the associate membership of Idaho and New Mexico State for football would end after the Idaho is the first FBS program to voluntarily drop

History

The University of Idaho fielded its first football team in 1893. The team had no nickname until 1917, when the University of Idaho basketball team under alumnus Hec Edmundson played defense with such ferocity that they were said to have "vandalized" their opponents; the name "Vandals" was then adopted for all of the school's sports teams.

Conference affiliations Timeline Independent (1894–1907) Northwest Conference (1908–1925) Pacific Coast Conference (1922–1958) Independent (1959–1964) Big Sky Conference (1965–1995) Big West Conference (1996–2000) Sun Belt Conference (2001–2004) Western Athletic Conference (2005–2012) FBS Independent (2013) Sun Belt Conference (2014–2017) Big Sky Conference (2018–present)

Conference history The Idaho football program began competing in 1893, and was a member of the Pacific Coast Conference from 1922 to 1958. It was then an independent until 1965, when it began league play in the Big Sky Conference. At the time, the other four football programs in the conference were members of the College Division (today's Division II), while Idaho remained a member of the University Division (today's Division I) through 1977, except for an involuntary demotion for 1967 and 1968. It maintained its status by playing a majority of games against University Division opponents.

A charter member of the Big Sky in 1963, Idaho did not participate in league play for football until 1965, the Big Sky's third year, after the conference demanded it. With its upper division status, the Vandals were ineligible for the College Division (D-II) playoffs. Notably, in 1971, the Vandals won their first outright conference title in school history. However, runner-up Boise State received the Big Sky's automatic berth. Because of its hybrid status, Idaho requested to retain its higher allotment of football scholarships (75) than the other conference members (62), which was expectedly disallowed. The university received an invitation in 1973 to join the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (later the Big West Conference), but the state board of education (concurrent board of regents) rejected it by a vote of 4 to 3. The Big Sky moved up to the new Division I-AA in 1978 (while Idaho moved down).

Idaho experienced its best years in football from 1985 to 1995, when it made the I-AA national playoffs in ten of 11 seasons with four different head coaches, reaching the semifinals twice. After 18 years in Division I-AA, Idaho returned to Division I-A competition (now called the FBS) in 1996 in the Big West.

Idaho rejoined the Sun Belt Conference in 2014 after a season as an independent in 2013, and eight seasons in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), which dropped football after the 2012 season. The Vandals were previously in the Sun Belt (also football only) from 2001 through 2004, after the Big West dropped football.

On August 18, 2012, Idaho was cleared to stay in the Football Bowl Subdivision as an independent after the WAC announced it would drop football effective with the end of the 2012 season. Idaho would only remain a football independent for the 2013 season; on March 27 of that year, the Sun Belt Conference announced that Idaho would return as a football-only member starting with the 2014 season. Nearly two years later in 2016, the Sun Belt Conference announced via teleconference that neither the University of Idaho nor New Mexico State University would be renewed after the 2017 football season. In 2018, Idaho resumed full membership in the Big Sky Conference, which participates in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Conference championships The Vandals have won 11 conference championships in their history, nine in the Big Sky.

1927 Pacific Coast Charles Erb 4–1–3 2–0–2 1965 Big Sky Steve Musseau 5–4 3–11968 Y C McNease 5–5 3–1 1971 Don Robbins 8–3 4–1 1982 Dennis Erickson 9–4 5–2 1985 Dennis Erickson 9–3 6–1 1987 Keith Gilbertson 9–3 7–1 1988 Keith Gilbertson 11–2 7–1 1989 John L. Smith9–3 8–0 1992 John L. Smith 9–3 6–1 1998 Big West Chris Tormey 9–3 4–1 Co-champions

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS playoffs For 18 seasons, from 1978 to 1995, Idaho was a member of NCAA Division I-AA, and in 2018 returned to compete in what is now called the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Vandals have participated in the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs 14 times, with an all-time playoff record of , being 6–5 at home and 2–9 on the road. They have a 4–8 record in the first round (2–4 at home, 2–4 away).

The program's best advancements were to the national semifinals in 1988 and 1993, but both seasons ended with road losses by large margins to the eventual national champions. The 1982 and 1990 teams advanced to the quarterfinals, but both lost close road games to the eventual national champions.

1982Dennis EricksonFirst RoundQuarterfinalMontana@ Eastern KentuckyW 21–7L 30–381985First RoundEastern WashingtonL 38–421986\Keith GilbertsonFirst Round@ Nevada-RenoL 7–271987First RoundWeber StateL 30–591988First RoundQuarterfinalSemifinalMontanaNorthwestern State@ FurmanW 38–19W 38–30L 7–381989John L. SmithFirst RoundEastern IllinoisL 21–381990First RoundQuarterfinal@ SW Missouri State@ Georgia SouthernW 41–35L 27–281992First RoundMcNeese StateL 20–231993First RoundQuarterfinalSemifinal@ NE LouisianaBoston U.@ Youngstown StateW 34–31W 21–14L 16–351994First Round@ McNeese StateL 21–381995Chris TormeyFirst Round@ McNeese StateL 3–332022Jason EckFirst Round@ Southeastern LouisianaL 42–452023Second RoundQuarterfinalSouthern IllinoisAlbanyW 20–17L 22–302024Second RoundQuarterfinalLehigh@ Montana StateW 34–13L 19–52 I-AA/FCS playoff field: 4 teams (1978–80), 8 teams (1981), 12 teams (1982–85), 16 teams (1986–2009), 24 teams (2013–present)

Bowl games In their time in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), Idaho participated in three bowl games, all in Boise. The Vandals had a 3–0 record.

1998 Chris Tormey Humanitarian Bowl Southern Miss W 42–35 2009 Robb Akey Humanitarian Bowl Bowling Green W 43–42 2016 Paul Petrino Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Colorado State W 61–50

Head coaches Fred Herbold 1900–19012421 John G. Griffith (a)1902–190651391John R. Middleton1907–19081340John S. Grogan19091230John G. Griffith (b)1910–1914515131Charles M. Rademacher19151141Wilfred C. Bleamaster1916–19172580Ralph Hutchinson19191230Thomas Kelley1920–19212851Robert L. Mathews1922–1925416142Charles F. Erb1926–192831095 1 (1927)Leo Calland1929–1934621300Ted Bank1935–1940618333Francis Schmidt1941–194227120Babe Brown1945–194622150Dixie Howell1947–1950413201Raymond A. Curfman1951–195337191Skip Stahley1954–1961822511Dee Andros1962–1964311161Steve Musseau1965–1967313170 1 (1965)Y C McNease1968–196927130 1 (1968)Don Robbins1970–1973420240 1 (1971)Ed Troxel1974–1977416253Jerry Davitch1978–1981415290Dennis Erickson (a)1982–1985432150 2 (1982, 1985)2 (1982, 1985)Keith Gilbertson1986–198832890 2 (1987, 1988)3 (1986–1988)John L. Smith1989–1994653210 2 (1989, 1992)5 (1989, 1990, 1992–1994)Chris Tormey1995–1999533230 1 (1998) 2 (1995, 1998)Tom Cable2000–2003411350Nick Holt2004–200525180Dennis Erickson (b)20061480Robb Akey2007–20126205001 (2009)Jason Gesser ^2012 1^040Paul Petrino 2013–2021934660 1 (2016)Jason Eck2022–2024 3 26 13 0 3 (2022–2024)Thomas Ford2025–present 1 4 8 0 ^ Interim head coach – Gesser coached the final four games of 2012 after Akey was relieved on October 21.

Rivalries

Boise State

The University of Idaho formerly enjoyed an in-state rivalry with Boise State University. The Boise State–Idaho rivalry began with a Bronco victory in the first meeting in 1971. They met every year through 2010, and with the exception of four years, (2001–2004), the matchup was a conference game. The rivalry was dominated by streaks as Idaho won 12 straight years from 1982 to 1993, while Boise State won the most recent 12 games between 1999 and 2010, mostly by large margins. BSU leads the rivalry with a series record of 22–17–1 (). Since Boise State's move to the Mountain West Conference in 2011, Boise State has refused to play Idaho home-and-home in football. In response, Idaho has refused to play Boise State at ExtraMile Arena for men's basketball. As of 2025, no future games for football or men's basketball are scheduled.

Idaho State

The University of Idaho enjoys another in-state rivalry with Idaho State University. The rivalry was at its most competitive in the 1970s and 1980s, with neither team three-peating. Idaho has won eleven of the last fifteen and leads the overall series at . Idaho's move into the Football Bowl Subdivision put the rivalry on hold for several years, the two schools only playing each other four times during Idaho's stay in the FBS. The series was revived in 2018 when Idaho dropped back to FCS and rejoined the Big Sky Conference in football (its other sports rejoined in 2014). Idaho leads 5–3 against Idaho State since rejoining the FCS.

With Idaho's rejoining of the Big Sky Conference in 2018, Idaho Central Credit Union sponsored a rivalry series titled "Battle of the Domes", which was applied to multiple sports. Idaho State was the first of the pair to play its home games indoors, opening the ICCU Dome (originally ASISU Minidome, later Holt Arena) in 1970. The Kibbie Dome in Moscow was enclosed in 1975, after four years as an outdoor venue; the last two outdoor games in this series were played there in 1971 and 1973, then known as new Idaho Stadium.

Ahead of the 2023 season, the Battle of the Domes branding was retired after Idaho Central Credit Union adjusted its sponsorship with both institutions. A temporary trophy was created by Idaho head coach Jason Eck, who fashioned a Mr. Potato Head to the base of the original Battle of the Domes trophy. In 2024, the rivalry's new trophy was officially introduced, a large potato carved out of douglas fir alongside a metal cutout of Idaho, dubbed the Potato State Trophy. Idaho won first possession of the trophy after defeating Idaho State 40–17 in the 2024 season. The following year, Idaho State defeated Idaho at the Kibbie Dome by a score of 37–16, ending a four-game losing streak and earning their first possession of the trophy.

Montana

The University of Idaho also enjoys a rivalry with the University of Montana. Known as the Little Brown Stein game, Idaho and Montana first played in 1903 and have played 84 times, and the stein was introduced in 1938, at the 25th meeting. Idaho leads the overall series , which also includes two Division I-AA playoff wins at home in the 1980s. Montana has had the upper hand since 1991, winning thirteen of the last sixteen. During Idaho's stay in the Football Bowl Subdivision from 1996 to 2017, the teams met five times, with Montana winning four. The schools are about apart; Moscow and Missoula are on opposite sides of the lower Idaho Panhandle, separated by the Bitterroot Mountains over Lolo Pass.