Sun Belt gives Idaho a belt

That must have been fun for the Idaho Vandals to sit there at the Sun Belt Conference football media day Monday and listen to the commish talk about how great the conference is going to be without them next year.

Kinda like the girl telling her friends how excited she is about her new boyfriend — while the old one still sits within earshot.

Oh well.

THE VANDALS have dutifully toed the company line through all of this, the last year in the Sun Belt for their football team before dropping down to FCS and the Big Sky Conference, where all their other teams are housed — we’re just trying to get better every day, we’re trying to win the league this year and win another bowl game, then try to win a different league next year and compete for a national championship.

True, the Sun Belt helped out Idaho when it rescued the Vandals four years ago, when the Western Athletic Conference stopped sponsoring football.

But you can’t say Idaho didn’t help out the Sun Belt a little as well, especially last year when the Vandals were one of four league teams to win a bowl game, and posted the Belt’s most entertaining bowl win — a 61-50 track meet victory over Colorado State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise.

True, the Sun Belt has reason to reason to be giddy about next year — when all 10 teams are actually in the south, meaning no more trips to Moscow or Las Cruces, N.M.

But perhaps a little pat on the back for getting better over the four years and being potentially one of the league’s top teams on their way out would have sufficed.

EVEN THE Sun Belt’s coaches gave the Vandals a little noogie on the eve of their final season in the league.

Idaho finished tied for third in the league last year. Last week, the coaches pegged the Vandals to finish sixth — behind two of the teams they beat last year. Sure, they lost a few key seniors, including former Coeur d’Alene High standout Deon Watson, but some pretty good guys return.

One of those is fifth-year senior quarterback Matt Linehan, preparing for his fourth year as a starter. He was a second-team all-Sun Belt pick last year, but didn’t make either the first or second preseason all-Sun Belt teams last week. Somehow, one of the other returning quarterbacks in the league passed him in the eyes of the coaches. I wonder how.

Idaho coach Paul Petrino smiled at media day when he noted the Vandals were only picked sixth in the league this year.

“That kinda puts a chip on everybody’s shoulder, lets them know that nobody thinks you’ve arrived yet,” Petrino said. “So it’s time to go do it again.”

AT LEAST the Vandals know where they are headed next year.

New Mexico State opted to stay in the FBS as an independent, hoping another league will find the Aggies attractive.

As long as they don’t list their 13 straight losing seasons on their resume.

New Mexico State last played in a bowl game in 1960 — 36 years before the Vandals joined them in Division I.

Well, they do have AggieVision at least.

Not that Idaho can call “Scoreboard” too much on its partner in Sun Belt eviction — though the Vandals do have two bowl victories this century, and three total since New Mexico’s last one.

And, with their progress the last two years, the Vandals would be disappointed if they didn’t make a fourth bowl appearance this season.

Petrino said if the Vandals could win bowl games in their last two seasons before departing the Sun Belt, that would show they “belonged.”

Then?

“Then you just worry about whatever cards you’re dealt,” he said. “If we somehow stay at that level, then we’ll keep trying to win bowl games and if we don’t, then we go from winning bowl games to winning playoff games and trying to win national championships.”

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.