While the Oregon Ducks haven’t always been a prominent program, the Oregon football team has a very rich and storied history. There have been numerous high profile games and memorable matchups throughout the years. 

But, interestingly enough, one of the Ducks’ longest-standing series is also one of the most lopsided in Oregon football history. It’s also a series that hasn’t had a game played in it in 20 years. That changes in 2024 as the Oregon Ducks football team welcomes the Idaho Vandals to Autzen Stadium in Eugene for the first time since 2004. 

That’s right, one of the Ducks’ longest series is against the Idaho Vandals, a matchup that spans over a century and showcases Oregon’s growth as a program.

The first matchup in the Oregon-Idaho series was back on November 6, 1901 as the two teams struggled to a 0-0 tie. It’d be five years before the two teams met again, but in 1906, Oregon grabbed the first victory in the series, beating Idaho 12-0. 

Oregon then grabbed 12 more victories before the next tie in the game occurred. Then, in 1924, Idaho grabbed its first win in the series, beating Oregon 13-0. The next year, the Ducks lost again by a score of 6-0. 

It’d be until 1950 that Idaho would actually manage to beat Oregon again. And the Ducks haven’t lost to Idaho since then.

This is a lopsided series and there’s really no foreseeable path to it becoming a competitive one (which is not at all a bad thing for the Oregon football program or Oregon football fans). Oregon should strive to keep winning (by rather large margins) anytime Idaho ends up on the schedule. There’s just too much talent between the two programs for anything else to be okay.

BOISE— Several changes are coming to the Idaho Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) on July 1 as new legislation takes effect. These changes will improve customer service and offer more options to Idahoans. 

Driver’s License and ID Cards

• Customers who are eligible to renew their driver’s license online will get a $5 discount for completing the transaction online. 
• The requirements for getting a free identification card (ID) for voting have been reduced. Legislation has removed the rule that applicants must not have had a valid driver’s license for 6 months before applying for the free ID.

Commercial Drivers and Vehicles

• Commercial drivers will now be able to get a commercial driver’s license (CDL) for eight years. The previous limit for CDLs was four years. CDLs will also be checked against the National Drug and Alcohol Clearing House. 
• DMV will now issue two-year weighted registrations for commercial and non-commercial vehicles up to 60,000 lbs. The previous limit was one year. 

License Plates

• Idaho will offer a Space Force Plate to eligible customers. 
• All Purple Heart recipients will be able to get a Purple Heart plate for free. Previously the fee exemption only applied to disabled Purple Heart recipients. 
• Legislation also created a Gadsden Flag “Don’t Tread on Me” plate. Plate sales will help fund educational grants for firearms safety training. While the legislation goes into effect on July 1, per the timeline included in the law, plates will be made available by January 1, 2025. 

Driver’s Education

• Parents in rural school districts or districts without driver’s education programs will be able to teach the on-the-road portion of driver’s ed. Parents must keep a log of drive time and skills learned. Students will complete the classroom driver’s ed course through the Idaho Digital Learning Alliance (IDLA). More information is available from the Idaho Department of Education. 

Other

• The definition of “resident” to get a vehicle registration, title, license, or identification card has been changed from 90 days to 30 days. This does not change the definition of resident for voting purposes. 
• If an owner wants to sell a vehicle that has no active registration, they can get up to two 30-day temporary registrations for the purpose of selling the vehicle. 

Great news for travelers who work and play in the Teton Valley. After a massive rockslide closed Highway 22 over Teton Pass three weeks ago, the Wyoming Department of Transportation has reopened the pass.

RELATED | Teton Pass reopens with interim detour after major road collapse

I asked Stephanie Harsha from W-DOT what their geologists are saying about the cause of the slide. “It was what our geologists called a perfect storm, so the weather is a big factor with the warming temperatures, and they warm up 20 degrees and with it not cooling off at night the ground just saturated it.”

It was not only important to get the pass open for the busy Fourth of July weekend, but also for the commuters from Victor and Driggs Idaho to get work in Jackson. “It was a big impact to their daily lives I heard people saying it was costing hundreds of dollars a week because of the detour.”

Harsha mentioned they received a lot of help from I.T.D. in getting the popular pass open.

“Together with our stakeholders, partners, contractors, and community advocates, we were able to accomplish this major feat in a matter of weeks – despite expectations that it would take months, or even years – all while keeping safety paramount,” said John Eddins, WYDOT District 3 Engineer. “Of course, we have so many to thank for this achievement.”