Idaho Vandals Idaho State Bengals
Sport	Football
First meeting	November 27,1916 Idaho, 32–0
Latest meeting	November 22,2025 Idaho State, 37–16
Next meeting	November 21, 2026 in Pocatello
Stadiums	Kibbie Dome (Idaho) ICCU Dome (Idaho State)
Trophy	Potato State Trophy
Statistics
Meetings total	47
All-time series	Idaho leads, 33–14 (.702)
Trophy series	Idaho, 5–3 (.625)
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 State, 1 (2025–present)

200km
124miles

Idaho State

Idaho

   

Campus locations inIdaho

TheIdaho–Idaho State rivalry is the intrastatecollege football game inIdaho between theUniversity of Idaho inMoscow andIdaho State University inPocatello.

The series was played annually for 31 seasons from1965 through1995, until Idaho's move to theFootball Bowl Subdivision (withBoise State), leaving Idaho State without an intrastate rival.Weber State, based in nearby Ogden, Utah, served as Idaho State's primary rival during Idaho's stay in the FBS. Annual play has resumed since Idaho's move back to theFootball Championship Subdivision in2018. The rivalry was at its most competitive in the 1970s and 1980s, with neither teamthree-peating. Idaho leads the overall series 33–14 (.702), and lead 5-3 (.625) since rejoining theBig Sky Conference in 2018.

A notable game of the series was not even played; in the conference finale for both teams in1978, a night game was scheduled for Moscow on November 11,^[1] and ISU planned to fly up to thePalouse that Saturday afternoon in twovintage airplanes.^[2] One developed engine trouble shortly after takeoff from Pocatello and returned. Both teams were at the bottom of the Big Skystandings and the game was not rescheduled; Idaho was granted a1–0forfeit win.^[2][3][4]

In opposite regions ofIdaho and in different time zones, the driving distance between the campuses is over 530 miles (855 km) throughBoise, and over 610 miles (980 km) if routed throughwesternMontana andCoeur d'Alene, a popular choice as it is mostlyinterstate (15,90).

Idaho State was the first of the pair to play its home games indoors, opening theICCU Dome (originally ASISU Minidome, later Holt Arena) in 1970. TheKibbie Dome in Moscow was enclosed in1975, after four years as an outdoor venue; the last two outdoor games in this series were played there in1971(debut)^[7] and1973, then the newIdaho Stadium.^[8][9]

From1971 through2010, Idaho'sprimary intrastate rivalry in football was withBoise State. While all three were in the Big Sky Conference (through 1995), they competed for the Gem State Trophy.

In 2017,Idaho Central Credit Union sponsored a rivalry between the two schools, titled "Battle of the Domes", the branding being applied to multiple sports.^[10][11] Five football games were played under the Battle of the Domes branding, Idaho winning in the 2019, 2021, and 2022 seasons, and Idaho State winning the inagural game in 2018, alongside the 2020 season, which was delayed to spring 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.

With the introduction of the Battle of the Domes branding in 2017, 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 were 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 was awarded temporary possession of the trophy.

Ahead of the 2023 season, the Battle of the Domes branding was officially retired, after Idaho Central Credit Union adjusted their sponsorship with both institutions.^[12]

After the retirement of the Battle of the Domes branding, a temporary rivalry trophy was created by Idaho head coach Jason Eck, who put aMr. Potato Head on the base of the original Battle of the Domes trophy.^[12] On July 21, 2024, a permanent trophy was formally introduced, called the "Potato State Trophy".

The trophy weighs 19.4 pounds (about 8.8 kilograms), and is made ofDouglas Fir. It made its on-field debut in the 2024 season, and was first in possession of the Vandals after a 63–21 victory over the Bengals in2023.

Idaho's Assistant Athletic Director for Brand Engagement & Digital Strategy, Jerek Wolcott, sculpted the potato, and Nick Davis, a wood and metal working teacher atMiddleton 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 and1929 games were in Pocatello;1962 marks the first time that the rivalry game was played on thePalouse in Moscow. Host Idaho won a low-scoring 9–6 game.

Idaho State ended the Vandals' eight-game winning streak in1969 with a 47–42 upset on the road. Held inPullman, Washington, it was Idaho State's first-ever win in the series. They won again thefollowing year 35–14, which was also the first game in the series played indoors, at the ASISU Minidome (nowICCU Arena) in Pocatello. Thenext year, Idaho State was the first opponent in Moscow's new outdoor Idaho Stadium, the first game on campus innearly three years; the Vandals won in a 40–3 rout and went on to become Big Sky champions.

1975 was first game held inside the newly enclosedKibbie Dome in September1975, visiting Idaho State won by a score of 29–14.

Late in the1978 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 for Division I-A (nowFootball Bowl Subdivision) in 1996. They played four times during Idaho's stay in the FBS, all of which were won by Idaho.

Idaho rejoined the FCS and the Big Sky Conference in2018, renewing the rivalry. Now dubbed the "Battle of the Domes," Idaho State won 62–28 in the first game under the new branding. They have played each other anually in a rivalry game during the last week of the regular season since then.

The University of Idaho was established 136 years ago in 1889 by theterritoriallegislature 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 Stateforfeited in1978 due to transportation issues.^[3][4]

• 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 theBig 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 theRocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Idaho joined conference play for football in1965, after six seasons (1959–1964) as an independent; they left forDivision I-A (FBS) in1996, and returned toFCS in2018.

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 24, followed byMoscow with 20, thenBoise andPullman, both with one.

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

• List of NCAA college football rivalry games

• College football rivalries in the United States
• Big Sky Conference rivalries
• Idaho Vandals football
• Idaho State Bengals football
• 1916 establishments in Idaho

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from February 2024
• Articles containing OSM location maps
• Pages using the Kartographer extension