This probably isn’t how athletic director Rob Spear planned on when he put together Idaho’s 2013 schedule.
The lone year of independence for the Vandals yielded a 12-game slate with seven teams chosen to participate in bowls, an eighth was bowl eligible but did not get picked (Texas State) and a ninth had a winning record but wasn’t eligible to receive a bowl bid due to being an FBS transitional from the FCS level (Old Dominion).
The schedule battered down the Vandals, who finished 1-11 in Paul Petrino’s first season as Idaho coach.
The schedule was as difficult as the 2012 slate which saw Idaho participate in the final season of WAC football, a WAC that produced three bowl eligible teams of the seven teams in the conference.
Idaho played five bowl participants and seven bowl eligible teams in 2012. North Carolina sat out due to sanctions, La. Tech sat out because it declined the Independence Bowl for hopes of getting another bowl bid, unsuccessfully.
That’s why next year’s schedule will be a breath of fresh air for Petrino and his squad in his second season. Only three bowl participants from this winter’s bowl season will appear on the schedule in 2014: Road games at Ohio and San Diego State and a visit from Arkansas State to the Kibbie Dome. Louisiana-Lafayette, the Sun Belt’s other bowl team, isn’t on Idaho’s conference schedule next season.
It should be noted that Idaho will have four Sun Belt opponents on its schedule next season that all went 6-6, but did not get picked for bowls. South Alabama, Louisiana-Monroe, Troy and Texas State all were left out of bowl season despite technically being eligible.
The Sun Belt will have three guaranteed bowl slots in 2014 with opportunities in “Group of Five” sponsored bowls in Miami and the Bahamas.
Here is a list of the 2013 bowl participants on Idaho’s schedule
Dec. 21 – New Mexico Bowl – Washington State v. Colorado State
Dec. 21 – Las Vegas Bowl – Fresno State v. Southern California
Dec. 26 – Poinsettia Bowl – Northern Illinois v. Utah State
Dec. 30 – Music City Bowl – Ole Miss v. Georgia Tech
Jan. 1 – Heart of Dallas Bowl – North Texas v. UNLV
Jan. 5 – GoDaddy Bowl – Arkansas State v. Ball State
Jan. 6 – BCS National Championship – Florida State v. Auburn
And the 2014 opponents that are bowling
Dec. 21 – Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – San Diego State v. Buffalo
Dec. 23 – Beef O’ Brady’s Bowl – Ohio v. East Carolina
Jan. 5 – GoDaddy Bowl – Arkansas State v. Ball State