Boise State's Fiesta Bowl Legacy and College Football Playoff Aspirations

The Boise State Broncos, a force in college football since joining the ranks of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), boast a rich history marked by memorable Fiesta Bowl appearances. Their journey, characterized by overcoming odds and achieving significant victories, has solidified their place on the national stage. With the advent of the expanded College Football Playoff, the Broncos find themselves once again in the spotlight, poised to add another chapter to their already impressive legacy.

A Tradition Forged in the Desert: Boise State's Fiesta Bowl Triumphs

Boise State naturally takes pride in its Fiesta Bowl heritage. The Broncos have been an FBS program for not quite three decades, but they have been to one of the grandest of the bowl games, the Fiesta, three times - and have won all three. All three of those trophies sit in the Bleymaier Football Center at Albertsons Stadium. Adding a fourth would be a significant step forward for a program that has re-emerged on the national stage.

The Broncos have a perfect 3-0 record in Fiesta Bowl appearances, a testament to their ability to rise to the occasion on the grandest stage. These victories, etched in college football lore, serve as a reminder of their potential to compete with the nation's elite programs.

The 2007 Fiesta Bowl: A Game for the Ages

The first of those was a classic: a 43-42 overtime victory over the Adrian Peterson-led Oklahoma Sooners in 2007 that is considered one of the greatest college football games of the past 25 years. Quarterback Jared Zabransky, who appeared on the cover of NCAA Football 08, was the Offensive Most Valuable Player in the 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl when No. 9-ranked Boise State defeated No. 7 Oklahoma 43-42 in overtime. The game is famous for the hook and lateral at the end of regulation when Zabransky threw to Drisan James, who pitched the ball to Jerard Rabb, who then scored the tying touchdown at the end of regulation. And, of course, it’s also known for the Statue of Liberty play when Zabransky held the ball behind his back and handed it off to Ian Johnson, who then scored the game-winning two-point conversion. Marty Tadman was the defensive MVP of the game.

Dominating TCU in 2010

The Broncos’ other Fiesta Bowls were a 17-10 win over TCU in 2010 and a 38-30 victory over Arizona in 2014. Kellen Moore, the winningest quarterback in the history of college football, led the No. 6-ranked Broncos that season and went 23 of 39 for 211 yards in that game. Doug Martin, one of the best Boise State running backs ever, scored what would be the game-winning touchdown with under eight minutes to play.

Victory Over Arizona in 2014

Former Broncos head coach Bryan Harsin also led Boise State to a Fiesta Bowl win during the 2014 season. The No. 21-ranked Broncos gained a 14-point halftime lead and held on for a 38-30 victory over No. Jay Ajayi, arguably one of Boise State’s best running backs ever, ran for 134 yards and three touchdowns.

These victories not only brought prestige to the program but also showcased their ability to compete with and defeat established powerhouses.

2024 Fiesta Bowl: A College Football Playoff Quarterfinal

In the first year of the expanded College Football Playoff, No. 3 seed Boise State (12-1) will take on No. 6 Penn State (12-2) in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve, which is one of the quarterfinal games. The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, played between No. 6-ranked Penn State and No. The game, which is one of the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal matchups, is taking place on Dec. Everyone’s goal is to go win a national championship. Now we’re going to focus on our work and what we do,” Danielson said.

Boise State remains the last non-Power 5 conference team to win the Fiesta Bowl. The Broncos (12-1), seeded third in by the College Football Playoff selection committee, will be back in the Fiesta Bowl for a CFP quarterfinal matchup with No. 6 Penn State (11-2) or No. 11 SMU (11-2) on Dec. 31.

Penn State's Fiesta Bowl Pedigree

The Nittany Lions have an impressive Fiesta Bowl legacy as well. They have been to the game seven times and won all seven. No team has won more - Ohio State and Arizona State each won five. Penn State is 7-0 in the Fiesta Bowl. The Nittany Lions won this game in 2017, 1997, 1992, 1987, 1982, 1980, and 1977.

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Penn State won its first Fiesta Bowl in 1977, defeating Arizona State 42-30 in the Sun Devils’ own stadium, where the game used to be played. Since then, the Nittany Lions emerged victorious in 1980, ‘82, ‘87, ‘92, ‘97 and 2017 - when they defeated Chris Petersen’s Washington team 35-28.

“Our guys are very aware of our history here at Penn State,” head coach James Franklin said Monday morning. “And we spend a lot of time in the offseason talking about those things, or former players coming back to talk to our guys.” “We don’t get into a whole lot of the history of these games, because I don’t necessarily feel like the time is worth taking away from preparing for the specific opponent that we have this year, which is Boise,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said. “Our guys are very aware of our history here at Penn State, and we spent a lot of time in the offseason talking about those things, or different former players coming back, lettermen to talk to our guys, or guys on our current staff. We don’t spend a whole lot of time talking about those types of things, the history, the tradition or how many times we have played in this game. Just all our energy and focus is this team, playing this opponent, in this second round of the playoffs, the quarterfinals.

Underdog Status and Confidence

They were underdogs in all three games and will be again on New Year’s Eve, with Penn State opening as 10.5-point favorites. “We might not have what everybody else has, but we definitely have enough,” head coach Spencer Danielson said Monday. “And we’re going to continue to push forward.”

Franklin, who briefly lived in Pocatello as Idaho State’s wide receivers coach in 1999, said Boise State has the “ingredients to succeed” that other schools often lack. “It’s in the university, it’s in the community, it’s embedded there. And that’s why you’ve seen so many people be able to go there and have success,” Franklin said. “… I’ve got a ton of respect for Boise, the university, the history, the traditions. We’re excited to play them.”

The Fiesta Bowl Uniform

The Broncos will have a big piece of that tradition on display in the game: the uniform combination they’ve had in every Fiesta Bowl victory. That consists of a blue helmet, white jerseys and orange pants.

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“I am a huge fan of the all-blues, the all-blacks and the all-whites. I have zero swag. I have zero feel of what people might want,” Danielson said with a laugh. “So I’m probably the wrong guy to ask, but I knew the second we were playing the Fiesta Bowl, (the uniform) wasn’t even going to be a conversation for me.”

A Program on the Rise: Boise State's Football Prowess

Boise State was a bit late to the college football scene, fielding its first team in 1933. Then a junior college, Boise State went 1-2-1 during its inaugural season. The Broncos made the jump to NCAA Division II in 1970 and captured the Division I-AA (now FCS) national title in 1980. After spending 26 years in the Big Sky, Boise State joined the Big West in 1996 to complete its rise to Division I.

The rest is history as Boise State has become one of the most successful programs in the country with stars like Ian Johnson, Kellen Moore and Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty. Boasting an all-time winning percentage of .727 (502-188-2 overall record), the Broncos only trail Ohio State (.735), Alabama (.734), Michigan (.732) and Notre Dame (.732) in all-time winning percentage among Division I teams.

Bowl Game History

Boise State has appeared in 23 bowl games. The Broncos have appeared in nine different bowl games, with multiple appearances in the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas/Las Vegas Bowl (5), the Humanitarian/MPC Computers Bowl (4), the Fiesta Bowl (4) (which was part of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and now part of the New Year's Six), the Hawaii Bowl (2), and the Poinsettia Bowl (2). Boise State was the only school from a non automatic qualifying conference to receive an at-large bid into a BCS game during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They went to the 2010 Fiesta Bowl that season (all other appearances by non-AQ schools were actually automatic bids under BCS rules). Boise State holds a 13-8 record in bowl games, including Fiesta Bowl wins in 2007, 2010 and 2014.

Here are the results of Boise State’s 22 bowl games from 1999 to present day:

1999 - Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (previously the Humanitarian Bowl and MPC Computers Bowl): Boise State 34, Louisville 31
2000 - Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Boise State 38, UTEP 23
2002 - Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Boise State 34, Iowa State 16
2003 - Armed Forces Bowl (previously the Fort Worth Bowl): Boise State 34, TCU 31
2004 - Liberty Bowl: Louisville 44, Boise State 40
2005 - Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Boston College 27, Boise State 21
2007 - Fiesta Bowl: Boise State 43, Oklahoma 42 (overtime)
2007 - Hawaii Bowl: East Carolina 41, Boise State 38
2008 - Poinsettia Bowl: TCU 17, Boise State 16
2010 - Fiesta Bowl: Boise State 17, TCU 10
2010 - Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State 26, Utah 3
2011 - Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State 56, Arizona State 24
2012 - Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State 28, Washington 26
2013 - Hawaii Bowl: Oregon State 38, Boise State 23
2014 - Fiesta Bowl: Boise State 38, Arizona 30
2015 - Poinsettia Bowl: Boise State 55, Northern Illinois 7
2016 - Rate Bowl (previous the Cactus Bowl): Baylor 31, Boise State 12
2017 - Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State 38, Oregon 28
2018 - First Responder Bowl: No contest*
2019 - Las Vegas Bowl: Washington 38, Boise State 7
2022 - Frisco Bowl: Boise State 35, North Texas 32
2023 - LA Bowl: UCLA 35, Boise State 22

*Boston College held a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when a severe lightning storm hit the Dallas area.

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