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When the subject of college football in Idaho is mentioned, these days most people think of Boise State. The 2007 Fiesta Bowl was indeed thrilling, but did it mean I had to watch the DVD for months afterward in every grocery store in the state?

Or one might think of the Idaho Vandals, who've had some tough times lately but still have plenty of alumni and fans to keep them satisfied.

And then there's my alma mater, Idaho State University. We used to be in a conference with Boise State and Idaho, but they both moved up to I-A over 10 years ago while we're left to languish in relative obscurity in the I-AA (er, FCS) Big Sky.

Mind you, it might not be so bad if the Bengals managed a winning season more than once every decade.

It's like being a Chicago Cubs fan, but without the romance. For years Idaho State fans have clung to our 1981 I-AA national championship, to Merril Hoge and Marvin Lewis, while suffering through yet another 2-9 season.

We usually win our first game, but that's because we tend to schedule some NAIA team even more obscure than us. The second game is usually on the road where we offer ourselves as a sacrifice to some big school trying to crack the top 25 (this year's winner: Oregon State). Then we get into our conference schedule. Montana? Loss. Montana State? Loss. Weber State? Usually an exciting game, but usually a loss.

The Bengals also have a knack for blowing fourth quarter leads at least once a year. As a fan I just don't feel right until it happens.

Even when the Bengals do well they're left out in the cold, as was the case in 2002 when they went 8-3 but failed to make the playoffs because of some obscure tiebreaker dealing with Montana, Montana State and, I don't know, KS Dinamo Tirana or someone like that.

And so, when the rest of the state becomes all atwitter over the latest incarnation of the Broncos/Vandals rivalry, you'll know who the Idaho State fans are. We'll be the ones taking a nap, dreaming that maybe one day we'll get some respect ...

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