MOSCOW, Idaho — A few of not-so-trivial questions here this week in the electrified home of the University of Idaho football team.

Who gave the Vandals the "welcoming" loss to the Western Athletic Conference in their 2005 conference debut?

Who has the most lopsided WAC football series against UI?

Who owns the only shutout victory over the Vandals in the Kibbie Dome in more than 20 years?

The Vandals, at a surprising 5-1 (2-0 WAC), have a lot to play for in today's 11:05 a.m. (Hawai'i time) game, including the opportunity to become bowl eligible with a victory over the University of Hawai'i.

But not forgotten in Idaho's march to what would be the school's first postseason appearance since 1998 is also an opportunity to strike a symbolic blow against one of its biggest tormentors, the Warriors.

As the Vandals seek to continue their accension in the WAC after nine consecutive losing seasons and stamp themselves as having turned the corner to not only respectability but contention, few victories would validate them more than one over UH. That is a large part of the appeal of what is expected to lure a sellout crowd of 16,000 in the Kibbie Dome.

Here the 2-3 (0-2 WAC) Warriors have their own problems, hoping to climb off the deck after three consecutive losses. And now, instead of one of those games they used to be able to count as an almost automatic "W" they encounter a team on a mission. Well, a couple of missions, really.

After years of being the Warriors' pinata, Idaho sees this as an opportunity to strike back on history. Here it is well remembered that UH lit up Idaho, 52-21, in the Vandals' final game of 2004, their last meeting before joining the WAC. Then, in their WAC debut, UH walked into the Kibbie Dome and laid down a 24-0 beating.

Since then, UH has followed it up with 68-10, 48-20 and 47-17 thumpings. Not even Boise State, the Vandals' most bitter in-state rival, has been able to duplicate the severity of that string of losses.

"We know what we're walking into," said UH head coach Greg McMackin.

With Boise State and Nevada (in Reno) coming up, a victory here today is UH's best chance to salvage a winning season. Lose here and the Warriors are staring at the possibility of a 2-6 start

To be sure, if the Warriors are able to pull one out here it won't be because the Vandals are looking past them. Instead, you get the distinct impression UI is staring them straight on. For all UI head coach Robb Akey's talk about not looking to the past, this is one chapter you can be sure the Vandals have given some thought to.