THE FRONT ROW WITH MARK NELKE: Sunday, November 29, 2015

Used to be, rivalry weekend in college football was the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

And if you weren’t very good that year, Turkey day was a day to reflect back on the season it was. If you did have a good season, that day was one last chance to stuff yourself before starting to prepare for your bowl game.

Then, much like the start times for Pac-12 football football games — later, later, later … — rivalry weekend got pushed back to the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Most of the big rivalry games unfolded this weekend — the Apple Cup, the Civil War, Ohio State-Michigan, Idaho vs. … Texas State?

Wait, what?

AS MUCH as Washington State vs. Washington dominated talk around the Spokane-influenced media, there was a smaller group of fans similarly passionate about Idaho vs. Boise State.

While the Apple Cup played out on a regional or sometimes national TV stage, Idaho-BSU was often lucky to find itself on TV statewide — on a public television channel, or a patchwork group of syndicated stations generally with Boise-area announcers and sometimes sketchy production quality.

But, especially when the game was in Boise, at least it was on TV. Usually.

And even with all that, you could feel the passion in the stadium.

The last time the state’s two FBS rivals met was in 2010. By then, ESPN was interested enough in the game to move it to a Friday night and televise it nationally. Still, Boise State was WAY better than Idaho. Chris Petersen, who was formerly a god in Boise before having the audacity to leave for a higher-profile program and league, could have scored 100 on the Vandals before easing off the gas in the second half and settling for a Kellen Moore-led 52-14 thrashing.

WHO IS Idaho’s rival now in football? Is it New Mexico State, the Vandals’ kindred spirit in football independence a couple of years ago, and the only two western teams playing in the Sun Belt Conference?

No, it’s still the team that won’t come to Moscow and play the Vandals anymore — though Idaho is welcome to travel down to “The Blue” for a drubbing, and a check.

Boise State isn’t going to change its stance anytime soon, it appears — and, unfortunately for Vandal fans, the Broncos don’t need to. Boise State aspires to play on a national stage, and though Idaho fans are no doubt cackling over the Broncos’ misfortunes this year, BSU doesn’t feel it needs to play the Vandals anymore.

Meanwhile, in North Idaho, the question has changed from, “When is Idaho going to play Boise State again in football?” to, “Is Idaho going to finally drop this FBS pipe dream after two decades and return to the Big Sky?”

Until then, all Idaho can hope for is that, someday, Boise State will need the Vandals again. And hopefully, Idaho is in a position to take the Broncos up on their offer.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.