Although Idaho’s season opener is almost nine months away, the football team may have already found a substantial amount of motivation for the team’s first matchup in September.
A recent coaching hire by Montana State has created an intriguing clash for the Vandals when they host the Bobcats to open the 2016 season. Idaho faces a former public critic in newly appointed head coach Jeff Choate.
The controversy stems from a former interview of Choate by a Coeur d’Alene sports reporter in September 2012. While the interview was aimed toward addressing high school football in the state of Idaho, Choate quickly shifted the discussion to the status of the Idaho football team as a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) program.
Choate, who was the linebackers coach at Washington State at the time, criticized Idaho’s decision to schedule LSU as an opponent for the 2012 season. He referred to the game against the elite opponent as a body bag matchup that sacrificed the health of players in order for the university to receive a large paycheck.
In the weekend before his comments, Idaho had traveled over 2,300 miles to Baton Rouge to play LSU, falling to the Tigers 63-14. Idaho received $925,000 for the game.
Choate concluded the 2012 interview by saying Idaho would be better served joining the Big Sky Conference, which would drop the Vandals from FBS standing to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
Ironically enough, Choate interviewed for the head coaching position at Idaho several months later when former head coach Robb Akey was dismissed from the program. Idaho eventually made the decision to hire current head coach Paul Petrino instead of Choate, who chose to pursue a position as the defensive line coach at Washington.
Last Friday, Montana State officially announced the decision to hire Choate as the new head coach of the football program. The Bobcats are a member of the Big Sky Conference and compete in the FCS.
What’s unique about this situation is that Montana State’s season opener is scheduled in Moscow against the Vandals, the team that Choate previously interviewed for and publically criticized.
Idaho has made vast improvements to the program under Petrino in the last three years, going from a one-win program to a conference competitor.
With the Vandals poised to make a run at bowl eligibility in 2016, the opener against Montana State provides an opportunity for Idaho to silence critics of its FBS status, including Choate. A commanding victory over the Bobcats would solidify Idaho’s standing as a member of the Sun Belt Conference and quell any rumblings that insist on a change in division.
When the season opener comes Sept. 1, fans can expect the Vandals will be fighting for more than just a win. The team might be looking to prove doubters wrong, starting with Choate and Montana State.
Josh Grissom can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @GoshJrissom