The attendance at last Thursday's home opener for the University of Idaho football team was shockingly low, especially considering that the "We never have a chance to win" argument is completely shot at this point. Coming off an 8-5 season, with a bowl win in their quiver, the Vandals are primed to come out firing on both offense and defense this season.
The "Labor Day weekend" excuse, while semi-valid in a small college town such as Moscow, doesn't cut it, either. Not when you look at: A) The amount of people from Boise to the Canadian border who cheer for the Vandals, and B) the game of football's fairly recent status upgrade to "the national pastime."
If Idaho fans wonder why the Mountain West Conference won't invite the Vandals and rescue them from a soon-defunct league, look no further than 11,466. The number is the stuff of a Football Championship Subdivision (Division I-AA) program.
Any ideas for selling out the Kibbie Dome? Here are a few from an impromptu brainstorm:
—— Unique giveaways:
- Free copies of Robb Akey's debut self-help DVD, "Talkin' Gruff." Famous guest instructors include Bill Pullman (the "Independence Day" incarnation), Sam Elliot and Brian Dennehy.
- Anthony Thomas bobblehead dolls (the head shakes up and head while the figurine cries "no, we stink"); long, flowing back wigs in honor of ex-Vandal/new San Francisco 49er Mike Iupati; flasks with etchings of Bob Kustra's smug mug.
- Raffle drawings for one free roster spot each week on the Washington State University football team. Might even be a starting role.
—— Set up a press conference for Karl Benson, Western Athletic Conference commissioner, after the game. The catch? He'd be hooked up to a lie-detector test.
"People will come, Ray. People will most definitely come."
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