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Idaho Vandals

Big SkyMoscow, IDKibbie Dome

2026: 2–⁠5 (2–⁠2 Big Sky). Last: won at Montana 42–⁠35. Next: Southern Utah, Saturday, Oct 24, 5 p.m. ET.

  1. L 34–⁠38at Cal Poly
  2. L 14–⁠66at No. 21 Utah
  3. L 17–⁠23Lamar
  4. L 39–⁠41Abilene Christian
  5. W 35–⁠34Montana State
  6. L 27–⁠38at Weber State
  7. W 42–⁠35at Montana
  8. Oct 24Southern Utah
  9. Oct 31at Portland State
  10. Nov 7Eastern Washington
  11. Nov 14UC Davis
  12. Nov 21at Idaho State

Idaho has played football since 1893 and is officially 504–⁠656–⁠26; 887 of its 1,186 games are in our file. They have won nine Big Sky Conference titles (the last in 1992), plus one Big West Conference title, one Pacific Coast Conference title, counting shared titles. Since 1936, the NFL Draft has taken 34 players from here in its first seven rounds, 2 of them in the first round. The College Football Hall of Fame holds 1 player and 2 coaches from Idaho. Chris Tormey (1996–⁠1999) won more games here than any other coach: 27. The most-played rival is Washington State: 74 meetings, Washington State leads 64–⁠8–⁠2. This season, they’re 2–⁠5.

Kibbie Dome in Moscow
Kibbie DomePhoto: Spicypepper999, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

On this date in 1940Idaho lost to No. 8 Boston College 60–⁠0 on the road.

Résumé

All-time record
504–⁠656–⁠26 official; 323–⁠547–⁠17 on file; how we count
Postseason
4–⁠1 bowls, title games, playoff
AP No. 1 finishes
0
Weeks at No. 1
0 of 0 ranked
Elo now
1275
Computer rankings
Massey No. 24 · Composite No. 49 in FCS, Oct 17; up 15 since Oct 11. From Massey Ratings
Best season by Elo
1924 rated 1565
Conference titles
11 last in 1998
Bowl record
3–⁠0 official, bowls only
Seasons
110 since 1908, 887 games

Identity

Fight song
Go, Vandals, Go

2026 season 2–⁠5

RosterFull 2026 season
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 28atCal PolyL 34–⁠3848%
Sep 3at21UtahL 14–⁠668%
Sep 12vsLamarL 17–⁠2350%
Sep 19vsAbilene ChristianL 39–⁠4146%
Oct 2vsMontana StateW 35–⁠3415%
Oct 10atWeber StateL 27–⁠3839%
Oct 17atMontanaW 42–⁠3515%
Oct 24vsSouthern UtahPreview44%
Oct 31atPortland StatePreview56%
Nov 7vsEastern WashingtonPreview62%
Nov 14vsUC DavisPreview42%
Nov 21atIdaho StatePreview32%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

This season, game by game

Idaho’s Elo through 2026: 1288 going into the opener, 1275 after the latest game.1225125012751300Elo 1288 going in; lost to Cal Poly 38–34Elo 1273 going in; lost to Utah 66–14Elo 1268 going in; lost to Lamar 23–17Elo 1249 going in; lost to Abilene Christian 41–39Elo 1239 going in; beat Montana State 35–34Elo 1252 going in; lost to Weber State 38–27Elo 1233 going in; beat Montana 42–35Now: Elo 1275 after the latest game1275
Cal PolyUtahLamarAbilene ChristianMontana StateWeber StateMontanaNow
Elo going into each game, then after the latest. Filled dots: wins; open: losses.

Players

The 2026 rosterRecord bookThe money

On the 2026 team

Program greats See all

Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at Idaho.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.

Program strength since 1908

Best seasons ever
Idaho end-of-season Elo from 1908 to 2026, best in 1924 at 1565.13001500170019001920194019601980200020201924 peak: Elo 1565
End-of-season Elo. Dashed line: 1500, an average FBS team.

Head coaches

CoachYearsRecord
Paul Petrino2013–⁠201719–⁠41
Jason Gesser20120–⁠4
Robb Akey2007–⁠201220–⁠50
Dennis Erickson20064–⁠8
Nick Holt2004–⁠20055–⁠18
Tom Cable2000–⁠200311–⁠35
Chris Tormey1996–⁠199927–⁠18
Ed Troxel1974–⁠19776–⁠18–⁠1
Don Robbins1970–⁠197320–⁠24
Y C McNease19692–⁠8
Steve Musseau1965–⁠19669–⁠11
Dee Andros1962–⁠196411–⁠16–⁠1
Skip Stahley1954–⁠196122–⁠51–⁠1
Raymond Curfman1951–⁠19537–⁠19–⁠1
Dixie Howell1947–⁠195013–⁠20–⁠1
James A. Brown19461–⁠8
Francis Schmidt1941–⁠19427–⁠12
Ted Bank1935–⁠194014–⁠30–⁠2
Leo Calland1929–⁠193421–⁠30
Charles F. Erb1926–⁠192810–⁠9–⁠5
Robert L. Mathews1922–⁠192516–⁠14–⁠2
Thomas Kelley1920–⁠19215–⁠5–⁠1
Ralph Hutchinson19190–⁠3
Wilfred C. Bleamaster1916–⁠19173–⁠4
John Griffith19110–⁠1
John R. Middleton19080–⁠0–⁠1

Most-played series

All rivalries
OpponentGamesIDHO record
Washington State748–⁠64–⁠2
Montana6239–⁠22–⁠1
Oregon503–⁠44–⁠3
Oregon State417–⁠34
Utah State3917–⁠20–⁠2
Utah2912–⁠15–⁠2
Washington290–⁠28–⁠1
Montana State2713–⁠13–⁠1

Rivals the program names: Idaho State, Montana, Eastern Washington, Boise State, Washington State.

The trophy it holds: Little Brown Stein (Montana, since 2026). Who holds each comes from the games on file; the trophies from Wikipedia.

Every opponent (123)

Every program Idaho has played, A to Z, with Idaho’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.

Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated, or with forfeits counted. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file.

Conference titles

11, counting shared titles
Big West Conference 1
1998
Big Sky Conference 9
1965 (shared), 1968 (shared), 1971, 1982 (shared), 1985, 1987 (shared), 1988, 1989, 1992 (shared)
Pacific Coast Conference 1
1927 (shared)

As the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.

Conferences

  1. Independent 1894–⁠1895, 1897 and 1899–⁠1907
  2. Northwest (historical) 1908–⁠1917 and 1919–⁠1921
  3. Pacific Coast Conference 1922–⁠1936, 1938–⁠1940 and 1946–⁠1958
  4. Independent 1959–⁠1964
  5. Big Sky 1978–⁠1995
  6. Big West 1996–⁠2000
  7. Sun Belt Conference 2001–⁠2004
  8. Independent 2013
  9. Sun Belt Conference 2014–⁠2017
  10. Big Sky since 2018
  • 1959Went independent from the Pacific Coast Conference. Source
  • 1965Joined the Big Sky from independence. Source
  • 1996Joined the Big West from the Big Sky. Source
  • 2001Joined the Sun Belt Conference from the Big West in football. Source
  • 2005Joined the WAC from the Sun Belt Conference. Source
  • 2013Went independent from the WAC in football. Source
  • 2014Joined the Sun Belt Conference from independence in football, announced March 27, 2013. Source
  • 2018Joined the Big Sky from the Sun Belt Conference in football, announced April 27, 2016. Source

Idaho’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time). The moves and their announcement dates from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the year is the first season in the new conference. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

Consensus All-Americans 1

2009Mike Iupati OG

Led the nation 6

1969Jerry Hendren receptions (95 catches), receiving yards (1,452 yds)
1968Jerry Hendren receiving touchdowns (14 TD)
1968Ron Sellers receptions (86 catches)
1966Ray McDonald rushing yards (1,329 yds)
1964Joe Chapman yards per catch (25.4)
1961Dick Mooney kickoff return yards (494 yds)

The NCAA’s official national leaders since 1937, from Wikipedia’s yearly leader lists.

In the Hall of Fame

Every inductee
Players
1
Coaches
2
2019Dennis Erickson coach here, 2006
2006John Friesz QB
1971Francis Schmidt coach here, 1941–⁠1942

In the NFL Draft

By college
Drafted, rounds 1–⁠7
34 since 1936
First-round picks
2
2010Mike Iupati OGNo. 17, San Francisco 49ers
1967Ray McDonald RBNo. 13, Washington Redskins

The school

University of Idaho
Enrollment
12,286 9,574 undergraduates, fall 2024
Where
Moscow, Idaho
Public or private
Public Research 1
Founded
1889
Graduates’ median earnings
$54,670 10 years after starting

Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.

Old photographs

  • The big bonfire. Football. University of Idaho.
    The big bonfire. Football. University of Idaho.Photo: University of Idaho, Public Domain Mark 1.0, via Digital Public Library of America
  • 1902 Football Team
    1902 Football TeamPhoto: University of Idaho, Public Domain Mark 1.0, via Digital Public Library of America
  • Idaho vs. Washington State College Football Game [01]
    Idaho vs. Washington State College Football Game [01]Photo: University of Idaho, Public Domain Mark 1.0, via Digital Public Library of America
  • Running play, Idaho - Washington State College Game, October 17, 1913
    Running play, Idaho – Washington State College Game, October 17, 1913Photo: University of Idaho, Public Domain Mark 1.0, via Digital Public Library of America
  • 1903 football game between Idaho and Washington State College [03]
    1903 football game between Idaho and Washington State College [03]Photo: University of Idaho, Public Domain Mark 1.0, via Digital Public Library of America
  • Football Team Idaho & Washington Champions [02]
    Football Team Idaho & Washington Champions [02]Photo: University of Idaho, Public Domain Mark 1.0, via Digital Public Library of America

From libraries and archives found through the Digital Public Library of America, each under the rights statement its holder gives and credited to it. The records don’t give these a season; those they date are on their seasons’ pages.

Season by season

National champions
SeasonRecordConf.AP preAP finalCoachEloSP+
20262–⁠52–⁠21275
20254–⁠82–⁠61283
202410–⁠46–⁠21481
20239–⁠46–⁠21443
20227–⁠56–⁠21374
20214–⁠73–⁠51257
20202–⁠41256
20195–⁠74–⁠51298
20184–⁠72–⁠51313
20174–⁠83–⁠5Paul Petrino1385-12.4
20169–⁠46–⁠2Paul Petrino1491-8.6
20154–⁠83–⁠5Paul Petrino1272-12.2
20141–⁠101–⁠7Paul Petrino1187-17.4
20131–⁠11Paul Petrino1195-35.6
20121–⁠111–⁠5Robb Akey, Jason Gesser1234-30.6
20112–⁠101–⁠6Robb Akey1313-23.5
20106–⁠73–⁠5Robb Akey1445-11.9
20098–⁠54–⁠4Robb Akey1394-10.6
20082–⁠101–⁠7Robb Akey1229-28.8
20071–⁠110–⁠8Robb Akey1241-25.5
20064–⁠83–⁠5Dennis Erickson1316-23.7
20052–⁠92–⁠6Nick Holt1278
20043–⁠92–⁠5Nick Holt1307-23.1
20033–⁠93–⁠4Tom Cable1305-18.9
20022–⁠101–⁠5Tom Cable1240-15.9
Every season back to 1908 (85 more)
SeasonRecordConf.AP preAP finalCoachEloSP+
20011–⁠101–⁠5Tom Cable1265-27.0
20005–⁠63–⁠2Tom Cable1435-10.8
19997–⁠44–⁠2Chris Tormey1492-8.5
19989–⁠34–⁠1Chris Tormey1518-8.5
19975–⁠62–⁠3Chris Tormey1354-16.4
19966–⁠53–⁠2Chris Tormey1395-2.4
19950–⁠11339
19941–⁠01373
19931–⁠01360
19921–⁠01324
19900–⁠11302
19890–⁠11314
19881–⁠01335
19870–⁠11300
19861–⁠11327
19850–⁠11308
19841–⁠11342
19831–⁠01333
19821–⁠11305
19810–⁠11263
19800–⁠21255
19791–⁠11268
19780–⁠51244
19771–⁠4Ed Troxel1317
19762–⁠3Ed Troxel1346
19751–⁠3Ed Troxel1287
19742–⁠8–⁠12–⁠2–⁠1Ed Troxel1246-29.1
19734–⁠73–⁠2Don Robbins1278-30.8
19724–⁠72–⁠3Don Robbins1295-11.3
19718–⁠34–⁠1Don Robbins1397-4.2
19704–⁠72–⁠2Don Robbins1247-17.7
19692–⁠81–⁠3Y C McNease1126
19685–⁠53–⁠11284
19674–⁠62–⁠21248
19664–⁠63–⁠1Steve Musseau1356
19655–⁠53–⁠1Steve Musseau1440
19644–⁠6Dee Andros1448
19635–⁠4Dee Andros1391
19622–⁠6–⁠1Dee Andros1277
19612–⁠7Skip Stahley1280
19601–⁠9Skip Stahley1261
19591–⁠9Skip Stahley1304
19584–⁠50–⁠3Skip Stahley1442
19574–⁠4–⁠10–⁠3Skip Stahley1486
19564–⁠50–⁠4Skip Stahley1435
19552–⁠70–⁠4Skip Stahley1354
19544–⁠51–⁠2Skip Stahley1347
19531–⁠80–⁠3Raymond Curfman1282
19524–⁠4–⁠11–⁠3Raymond Curfman1434
19512–⁠70–⁠3Raymond Curfman1371
19503–⁠5–⁠11–⁠1–⁠1Dixie Howell1423
19493–⁠51–⁠4Dixie Howell1375
19483–⁠61–⁠5Dixie Howell1350
19474–⁠41–⁠4Dixie Howell1269
19461–⁠80–⁠5James A. Brown1105
19451–⁠71–⁠51166
19423–⁠71–⁠5Francis Schmidt1283
19414–⁠50–⁠4Francis Schmidt1369
19401–⁠7–⁠10–⁠4Ted Bank1303
19392–⁠60–⁠3Ted Bank1370
19386–⁠3–⁠12–⁠3–⁠1Ted Bank1457
19374–⁠3–⁠12–⁠21444
19363–⁠70–⁠4Ted Bank1362
19352–⁠71–⁠5Ted Bank1369
19343–⁠51–⁠4Leo Calland1432
19334–⁠41–⁠4Leo Calland1429
19323–⁠51–⁠4Leo Calland1405
19313–⁠41–⁠4Leo Calland1365
19304–⁠70–⁠5Leo Calland1323
19294–⁠51–⁠4Leo Calland1421
19283–⁠4–⁠12–⁠3Charles F. Erb1457
19274–⁠1–⁠32–⁠0–⁠2Charles F. Erb1498
19263–⁠4–⁠11–⁠4Charles F. Erb1431
19253–⁠52–⁠3Robert L. Mathews1406
19245–⁠2–⁠14–⁠2Robert L. Mathews1565
19235–⁠2–⁠12–⁠2–⁠1Robert L. Mathews1508
19223–⁠50–⁠4Robert L. Mathews1428
19214–⁠3–⁠1Thomas Kelley1425
19201–⁠2Thomas Kelley1388
1919few games on file0–⁠3Ralph Hutchinson1322
1918few games on file0–⁠11440
19172–⁠3Wilfred C. Bleamaster1437
1916few games on file1–⁠1Wilfred C. Bleamaster1463
1911few games on file0–⁠1John Griffith1486
1908few games on file0–⁠0–⁠1John R. Middleton1503

Officially 504–⁠656–⁠26 since 1893 (per Wikipedia, through the 2025 season); game by game here, 323–⁠547–⁠17 (887 of its 1,186 games are on file). Our file starts in 1908; the program began in 1893. Some games are missing from our source.

No season on file for 1909–⁠10, 1912–⁠15, 1943–⁠44, 1991: the program may not have played, or our source may be missing them.

Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.