However, the selection committee decided to invite the in-state Idaho Vandals of the Sun Belt Conference instead of a team from the MAC.

[7] The most recent meeting was six years earlier in 2010 on September 25; the Rams won in Fort Collins with a game-ending field goal, 36–34.

[10][11] Coming off of a 4–8 season, fourth-year head coach Paul Petrino looked to lead the Vandals to bowl eligibility for the first time since 2009.

[14][15] The game and Idaho's 2016 season took place against the backdrop of upcoming major change to the Vandals football program.

On March 1, 2016, the Sun Belt Conference announced that its football membership agreements with Idaho and New Mexico State would not be renewed once they expired after the 2017 season.

[16] Idaho responded by announcing on April 28 that the football program would downgrade from the top-level FBS to FCS effective with the 2018 season and rejoin the Big Sky Conference, already home to the university's other sports.

[17] During the announcement, university president Chuck Staben said, "Our relevance will be complemented by our football program, not defined by it.

Idaho's first drive started there, but they stalled and were forced to punt after a three-and-out, giving Colorado State possession of the ball on their own 42-yard-line.

The Rams' second drive was cut short after two plays when quarterback Nick Stevens's pass was intercepted over the middle by Jayshawn Jordan at the Idaho 41-yard-line.

[23] Colorado State started the second quarter with possession of the ball on their own 16-yard-line and drove to their own 48, where they completed a 52-yard touchdown pass for the first points of the game.

They scored on the next play by virtue of a 26-yard rush from running back Isaiah Saunders, his second touchdown of the game.

The Rams started their second drive of the half on their own 39-yard-line; two incompletions and a sack later, Colorado State punted and Idaho took over on the 9-yard-line.

[23] Idaho's offense responded quickly, as they scored within the first two minutes of the fourth quarter to extend their lead to 34, though this was countered with a Colorado State touchdown a few plays later.

Colorado State's onside kick was unsuccessful, and Idaho responded with another touchdown: an Isaiah Saunders 12-yard rush to make it 61–28 after the extra point was missed.

The first drive of the fourth quarter not to result in a touchdown came with 3:12 remaining when Idaho went three-and-out and was forced to punt back to Colorado State, who took over on their own 16-yard-line.

Idaho went three-and-out and punted back to the Rams, whose next drive started on the 43-yard-line and resulted in a 22-yard touchdown rush by Dalyn Dawkins, making the score 61–42.

With just over a minute left in the game, Colorado State recovered their onside kick at their own 46-yard-line and gained 39 yards on the first play of that possession.

[23] Source:[23] The game's statistics reflected the high-powered offensive performances put on by both teams, with each starting quarterback eclipsing 350 yards of passing.

Colorado State's Bisi Johnson finished as the game's leading receiver, as he caught 7 passes for a net gain of 265 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Deon Watson was the Vandals' leading receiver, finishing the game with 5 receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown.

In a postgame interview for ESPN Radio, quarterback Matt Linehan was strongly critical of University of Idaho president Chuck Staben and his decision to drop the football program to FCS level, saying,[18]We belong in FBS, period.