Idaho has been largely uncompetitive in 21 seasons at the FBS level, so the program is dropping down to FCS status, beginning with the 2018 season.

So it is no stretch to say the Vandals are probably the most unlikely participant of the 80 bowl teams this season.

Idaho (8-4) concludes its next-to-last season as part of college football's top level by playing in a bowl game for only the third time when it meets streaking Colorado State (7-5) in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Boise, Idaho.

The Vandals made the decision to drop down a level after being dismissed from the Sun Belt Conference. The university figured it might enjoy more success and lose less money as an FCS school.

So expectations were even lower than normal at the outset of this season and Idaho certainly didn't look like it was headed to its first winning campaign since 2009 or second in the past 17 seasons when it lost back-to-back September games to Washington and Washington State by a combined 115-20.

Yet coach Paul Petrino kept the squad from crumbling and Idaho finished the regular season by winning four straight and six of its last seven. And saying the Vandals are reveling in the bowl berth would be quite the understatement.

"That's one reason I'm so proud of our players," Petrino said during a press conference. "They've been kicked out of a conference and told they were going to change divisions. They never worried about that. They worried about playing one game at a time."

The date with Colorado State will definitely be challenging for the Vandals. The Rams won four of their past five games, and put 63 points on the scoreboard in a late-season road trouncing of Mountain West champion San Diego State.

Colorado State averaged a scorching 47.4 points and 520.6 yards over its final five games and the four victories during the stretch were by an average of 26.5 points. The Rams are playing in a bowl for the fourth consecutive season, the second-longest streak in school history (five under Sonny Lubick from 1999-2003).

Junior quarterback Nick Stevens tossed 14 touchdown passes against one interception over the final six games and standout junior receiver Michael Gallup (70 catches for 1,164 yards) had 11 touchdown receptions, second most in school history.

Senior weak-side linebacker Kevin Davis posted a team-high 101 tackles as the leader of the defense.

"Our football team has consistently improved throughout this season by the way they have worked and learned to compete, and I believe we are playing our best football late in the season," Rams coach Mike Bobo said. "We are appreciative of this invitation to play in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, and I'm excited for this football team to have one more chance to play together, to keep improving and finish the season on a high note."

The Idaho defense limited three of its last four opponents to 14 or fewer points. Sophomore middle linebacker Tony Lashley recorded a team-best 99 tackles.

Vandals junior quarterback Matt Linehan passed for 2,803 yards and 15 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. He is the son of Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan.