The Idaho State Bengals have not had a very good last decade of play in college football, to put it gently. Following an 8-4 season in 2003 (Jared Allen's last season playing for ISU), the Bengals have finished with a losing record in every season since. It hasn't even been close for the most part, with nine of those seasons resulting in the Bengals reaching only three or less wins.

Particularly disastrous was the four-season tenure of head coach John Zamberlin from 2007 to 2010. The team amassed an overall record of 6-39 and slid clear to the bottom of the FCS. There were few programs in all of Division I in worse condition.

Idaho State turned to head coach Mike Kramer in 2011 to try to rescue the dumpster fire of a program Zamberlin had left him. He slowly began to rebuild the program, starting to create a team that at least had a solid offense, even if it continued to have decidedly losing seasons.

This year, however, Kramer's efforts have started to come to fruition, as the Bengals had made it through eight weeks with a 5-3 record to show.

Now, the Bengals have assured themselves of their first non-losing season since 2003 with a 31-13 win over conference foe Portland State. That brings their record to 6-3 so far with only three games left.

Surprisingly, it was the defense that really came through for ISU. The offense still gained 430 yards overall, but their 31 points were the fewest they have scored against fellow FCS teams this season.

The ISU defense actually gave up 424 yards but more than made up for that by forcing an astounding six turnovers off of five interceptions and a fumble recovery.

Besides guaranteeing the team a record of at least .500 this season, the game was perhaps even more heartening for ISU fans in that it showed a Bengals team full of fight, mental toughness and resolve. Despite giving up over 400 yards and scoring the fewest points they have so far in FCS play this season, the team stayed tough and still won by three scores.

Perennial bottom dwellers don't have that fight and mental toughness, so the game serves as an emphatic reminder that the Bengals are not a pushover any longer and are now once again a program to be reckoned with.

The Bengals are also still in the race for the Big Sky title with a 4-1 record in conference play and two of their three remaining games coming against teams tied with or ahead of them in the conference standings. The other game is their season finale against Weber State, which is currently winless on the season. A winning record is a strong possibility for this ISU team, and the fact they are still in the Big Sky title chase speaks volumes about how far this program has progressed under Kramer.

While the Bengals' 31-13 win over Portland State may have not even shown up on the national college football radar this weekend, it is nonetheless one of the most significant games this week, as it firmly established that Idaho State is now once again a respectable program which has had arguably the biggest turnaround season in all of Division I football.