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BOISE — Everybody needs a rival.
Duke has North Carolina. Southern California has UCLA. BYU has Utah.
But Boise State, one of the rising stars in the country that is currently ranked No. 14 in the AP and Coaches’ polls, has been largely without a true “rival” since Idaho left the Western Athletic Conference for the Sun Belt, and will soon move to the Big Sky.
With a series that last through the 2023 season, BYU seems to be in an ideal position to fit as Boise State’s “rivalry” game.
But is BYU-Boise State a rivalry? The players, coaches and fans in the series have differing opinions.
For BYU coach Kalani Sitake, the long-term series represents a marquee opponent on BYU’s independent schedule for years to come.
“I have tons of respect for Boise,” Sitake said. “They are great, passionate fans, a great program, and they’ve done some great things as a team and the tradition that has been established the last few decades.
“We’d love to play them every year. They are a great team.”
Sitake’s history with rivalry games is unique to the Intermountain West. For 10 years, he battled BYU as a Utah assistant, then got his taste of the other side of the rivalry a month ago, when he tried to beat the Utes with a two-point conversion and was seen embracing former players and friends moments later.
He also spent one year at Oregon State, playing in the Beaver State’s seminal in-state matchup against rival Oregon.
So BYU-Boise State has a unique position to become a strong rivalry. Boise State leads the all-time series 4-2, but the Cougars and Broncos have been competitive over the past four years — with the home team winning each time. BYU has never won at Boise, and the Broncos are just 1-2 in Provo.
Obviously, Sitake hopes to end that streak tonight at 8:15 p.m. on ESPN and KSL NewsRadio. But he also knows the stakes in front of him.
“We are going to have to play our best,” Sitake said. “We look forward to that, and seeing if we can get that done Thursday.”
Off the field, the Cougars and Broncos also overlap over a significant portion of their fan bases and recruiting territory. There are a lot of BYU fans in Idaho, and a growing number of Boise State fans in Utah — it’s almost impossible for fans of either school to go to work, school or community events without running into fans of the other institution.
A lot of those commonalities point to an emerging rivalry.
“It’s one of the top five (rivalries), in my book,” BYU tight end Tanner Balderree said. “It’s someone we’ve consistently played, and it’s always been a back-and-forth battle.
“It’s a rivalry; it’s a big game for us, it’s a big game for them, and I think it’s one of the big games on their schedule.”
BYU has five players from the state of Idaho on its roster, including top two quarterbacks Taysom Hill (Pocatello) and Tanner Mangum (Eagle). Walk-on quarterback Hayden Livingston (Rigby), wide receiver Colby Pearson (Blackfoot) and defensive back Sam Baldwin (Rexburg) also hail from the Gem State.
Boise State has four players from the Beehive State in Bingham’s Durrant Miles, Alta’s Sonatane Lui, Riverton’s Hayden Israelson and Lone Peak’s Daniel Auelua.
“Outside of Utah, it’s definitely up there,” Hill said. “They are a good program, we’re a good program, and there’s history at both places.”
Of course, just being from Idaho doesn’t make one a Boise State fan. Hill’s hometown is closer to Provo than Boise, and Mangum — who grew up in the shadow of the Broncos’ Albertsons Stadium — has consistently referred to Boise State as a second-favorite team behind BYU when he was younger.
“It’s Boise State, and I grew up watching them,” Hill said. “But the Treasure Valley is further away than Provo to Pocatello. It’s fun to play against a good program back home, but in terms of preparation, it’s all the same.”
Boise State has been lacking a true geographic rival since ending the annual series with Idaho. Fresno State and Nevada have been with the Broncos since their own days in the WAC, but the Bulldogs and Wolfpack play in the West division and don’t play Mountain division opponent Boise State every year. The Broncos are 16-5 all-time in the series with Utah State.
BYU has a lot of rivalries. In addition to the Utes, the Cougars play the Aggies for the Old Wagon Wheel every year (Utah State also plays Wyoming in Bridger’s Battle each year). Every former WAC school that joined BYU in the Mountain West has claimed some sort of rivalry with the Cougars, like UNLV, Air Force, Colorado State, San Diego State and New Mexico.
But Boise State’s recent success makes it a rival BYU could claim with gladness.
“I feel like we treat everyone as a rival, honestly,” receiver Moroni Laulu-Pututau said. “We’ve been playing the season with a chip on our shoulder and a lot of stuff to prove. I think (Boise) is the same level as anyone else.”
Whether officially a “rivalry” or not, the Cougars will treat tonight’s game as such.
“The other plays say it’s almost as if it were a rivalry game, going there and them coming here have been good games,” linebacker Francis Bernard said. “Playing in Boise will be a hostile environment. I’m excited to go there. It will be a fun game.”
