Idaho–Idaho State football rivalry

Battle of the Domes

Idaho Vandals Idaho State Bengals
Sport	Football
First meeting	November 27, 1916 Idaho, 32–0
Latest meeting	November 18, 2023 Idaho, 63–21
Next meeting	November 23, 2024 in Pocatello
Stadiums	Kibbie Dome (Idaho) ICCU Dome (Idaho State)
Trophy	Potato State Trophy
Statistics
Meetings total	45
All-time series	Idaho leads, 32–13 (.711)
Trophy series	Idaho, 4–2 (.667)
Largest victory	Idaho, 70–21 (1994) Idaho, 52–3 (1998)
Smallest victory	Idaho, 1–0 (1978, forfeit)
Longest win streak	Idaho, 8 (1916–1968)
Current win streak	Idaho, 3 (2021–present)

200km
125miles

Idaho State

Idaho

  

Campus locations in Idaho

The Idaho–Idaho State rivalry, recently branded as the Battle of the Domes,^[1][2][3] is the intrastate college football game in Idaho between the University of Idaho in Moscow and Idaho State University in Pocatello.

The series was played annually for 31 seasons from 1965 through 1995, until Idaho's move to the Football Bowl Subdivision (with Boise State), leaving Idaho State without an intrastate rival. Annual play has resumed since Idaho's move back to the Football Championship Subdivision in 2018. The rivalry was at its most competitive in the 1970s and 1980s, with neither team three-peating; Idaho has won fourteen of the last seventeen and leads the overall series at 32–13 (.711). Since Idaho's return to the FCS, the Vandals lead the trophy series at 4–2.

A notable game of the series was not even played; in the conference finale for both teams in 1978, a night game was scheduled for Moscow on November 11,^[4] and ISU planned to fly up to the Palouse that Saturday afternoon in two vintage airplanes.^[5] One developed engine trouble shortly after takeoff from Pocatello and returned. Both teams were at the bottom of the Big Sky standings and the game was not rescheduled; Idaho was granted a 1–0 forfeit win.^[5][6][7]

The "Battle of the Domes" theme began in 2017, and is applied to multiple sports.^[1][2] In opposite regions of Idaho and in different time zones, the driving distance between the campuses is over 530 miles (855 km) through Boise, and over 610 miles (980 km) if routed through western Montana and Coeur d'Alene, a popular choice as it is mostly interstate (15, 90). The Battle of the Domes is currently sponsored by Idaho Central Credit Union, which sponsors athletic venues on each campus (it sponsors Idaho State's football stadium, also used for basketball, and Idaho's basketball arena).

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 (debut)^[10] and 1973, then the new Idaho Stadium.^[11][12]

From 1971 through 2010, Idaho's primary intrastate rivalry in football was with Boise State. While all three were in the Big Sky Conference (through 1995), they competed for the Gem State Trophy.

With the introduction of the Battle of the Domes branding in 2018, a traveling trophy was also introduced. The Battle of the Domes trophy is prominently green (representing Idaho Central Credit Union's colors), and is mounted on a wooden base. There are 20 small plaques located on the base of the trophy, which are filled in after every football game between the two, detailing the winner, date, and score. The winner of the overall Battle of the Domes competition is awarded temporary possession of the trophy. Idaho and Idaho State have won the trophy twice since the rivalry renewed on an annual basis; Idaho in 2019 and 2021, Idaho State in 2018 and 2020.

On July 21, 2024, the “Potato State Trophy” was announced as the rivalries new hardware. A 19.4-pound (8.8 kg) trophy made of Douglas Fir. It will officially make its on-field debut in the 2024 season, and was first in possession of the Vandals after a 63–21 victory over the Bengals in 2023.

Idaho's Assistant Athletic Director for Brand Engagement & Digital Strategy, Jerek Wolcott, sculped the potato, and Nick Daivs, a wood and metal working teacher at Middleton High School, made the metal cutout.

The first game in the series was held in Pocatello on November 27, 1916. The Vandals defeated the Bengals by a score of 32–0.

Both the 1916 and 1929 games were in Pocatello; 1962 marks the first time that the rivalry game was played on the Palouse in Moscow. Host Idaho won a low-scoring 9–6 game.

Idaho State ended the Vandals' eight-game winning streak in 1969 with a 47–42 upset on the road. Held in Pullman, Washington, it was ISU's first-ever win in the series. They won again the following year 35–14, which was also the first game in the series played indoors, at the ASISU Minidome (now ICCU Arena) in Pocatello. The next year, ISU was the first opponent in Moscow's new outdoor Idaho Stadium, the first game on campus in nearly three years; the Vandals won in a 40–3 rout and were Big Sky champions.

In the first game inside the newly enclosed Kibbie Dome in September 1975, visiting Idaho State spoiled the festivities with a 29–14 win.

Late in the 1978 season, the two were scheduled to play at night in Moscow on November 11, but transportation issues caused Idaho State to forfeit, giving Idaho a 1–0 win. On game day, one of two vintage aircraft carrying the ISU team had mechanical issues and returned to Pocatello; it remains the closest game in the series.

On September 30, 1995, Idaho State defeated Idaho 26–21, ending a seven-game losing streak. This was the last time they faced each other in conference play until 2018, with Idaho leaving Division I-AA in 1996. They played four times during Idaho's stay in the FBS, all Vandal wins.

Idaho rejoined the FCS in 2018, renewing the rivalry. Now dubbed the "Battle of the Domes," Idaho State won 62–28 in the first game under the new branding.

The University of Idaho was established 135 years ago in 1889 by the territorial legislature and opened its doors three years later. Idaho State's origins date back to 1901; it was a two-year branch campus of the UI (1927–1947), became a four-year college in 1947, and a university in 1963.

^ Idaho State forfeited in 1978 due to transportation issues.^[6][7]

• Eight non-conference games: 1916, 1929, 1962, 1963, 1997, 1998, 2006, 2008
• Not played in 63 seasons: 1917–1928, 1930–1961, 1964, 1996, 1999–2005, 2007, 2009–2017

Both schools were charter members of the Big Sky Conference, which launched in 1963. In conference play, Idaho leads the series 22–13 (.629) through 2021. Idaho State was previously a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Idaho joined conference play for football in 1965, after six seasons (1959–1964) as an independent; they left for Division I-A (FBS) in 1996, and returned to FCS in 2018.

Since first game in 1916

The rivalry game has been held in four different locations in two different states. Pocatello has held the most games with 22, followed by Moscow with 19, then Boise and Pullman, both with one.

*The 2020 season was delayed due to COVID-19, instead taking place in spring 2021.

• List of NCAA college football rivalry games