Forget the Blue Turf! This is Idaho’s Top College Football Tradition

While Idaho will forever be known by outsiders as the “Potato State,” we’d argue that we should be known for our incredible college football traditions as well. After all, Boise State’s famous blue turf was just named the “Best Attraction for Sports Fans” by USA Today for the third consecutive year. 

If you’re not from Boise, “The Blue” is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state whether it’s game day or not. That’s why I fully expected to find it listed as 24/7 Tempo’s Idaho choice on their new list of “Every State’s Most Popular and Unique College Football Tradition.”

READ MORE: University of Idaho Bans These 34 Items from Home Football Games

As I scrolled through the pictures, I saw the usual suspects like Alabama’s “Roll Tide!” cheer and Florida’s “gator chomp.” Some states had cliché choices like the mascot doing a push-up for each point scored. A few saluted live mascots like UConn’s Jonathan the Husky or Georgia’s Uga the Bulldog. 

But when I got to Idaho? “The Blue” was NOT the publication’s top choice for college football tradition in Idaho. In fact, the choice didn’t come from Boise State at all! 

According to 24/7 Tempo, Idaho’s best college football tradition is a unique part of the University of Idaho’s Homecoming festivities called the “Serpentine.” Based on archived images from the school’s library, the tradition dates back as far as 1915 when Vandals came together to form a human snake on the field before football games. 

On the school’s list of “University of Idaho Traditions” they explain: 

In the early years, the homecoming game was played against rival Washington State College, but today, opponents vary from year to year. On the night before the football game, students form a serpentine that snakes across campus, picking up people on the way to the bonfire and pre-game pep rally led by the Sound of Idaho Marching Band and the University president.

In its prime, the tradition grew to weave its way through Downtown Moscow like in this photo from a 1955 "pajama party" themed Serpentine. 

Today, the route’s confined mostly to campus. In 2025, the traditional Vandal spirit walk will start at the U of I Golf Course and eventually snake its way through campus to the Kibbie Dome parking lot for the pep rally, bonfire and fireworks show. 

Look through the Facebook page for U of I’s homecoming events and you’ll quickly discover that the unique walk is often the best memories alumni have of their time as a Vandal.