GLENDALE, Ariz. — Two Boise State schools competed in the New Year's Eve game.
One was a conference champion who had a dream season. The team advanced to the College Football Playoff on the back of star running back Ashton Giunty, returning the storied program to the top of the Group 5 conference.
On the other side, Boise State was an underdog in the Group of 5 and put up a valiant but futile effort against a better and more talented Penn State.
Both versions coexisted Tuesday night in No. 3 Boise State's 31-14 loss to No. 6 Penn State in the playoff quarterfinals at the Fiesta Bowl. The first one deserves to be celebrated. The latter provided Big Ten runner-up Penn State with a seemingly easier path to the semifinals than Big Ten champion and No. 1 seed Oregon State or SEC champion and No. 2 seed Georgia, which expanded incompletely. It would further fuel the narrative that the playoffs need. Please adjust your seed format as soon as possible.
For Broncos fans and those hoping to root for Cinderella, a disappointing and frustrating performance doesn't diminish what was a magical run. No, Giunty didn't break Barry Sanders' single-season rushing record, falling 27 yards short for his lowest rushing output of the season. No, the sport's preeminent underdog couldn't pull off yet another Fiesta Bowl upset on the same field that scored the program's decisive victory. However, 2024 will go down as one of the most memorable seasons in Boise State football history.
“I'm so proud of this team. Even though it didn't go our way tonight, they re-established the standard in Boise of being the light on the rural hill that was missing for a little while.” said head coach Spencer Danielson. “That's a legacy that can never be taken away from them.”
For the other CFP teams that weren't on the field Tuesday, or fans of college football in general (admittedly many fans are hard to please), this matchup was meant to reward the conference champions; It highlighted serious flaws in previously designed systems. The reconditioning thinned the Power 5 to a top-heavy Power 4.
The shortcomings of this playoff format, in which the top four teams in the conference receive byes, were evident long before teams were talked about on ESPN on Sunday, with No. 9 Boise State rising to the No. 3 seed. Mountain West Championship. This creates a matchup where No. 1 Oregon State will play No. 8 Ohio State, No. 6, and No. 2 Georgia will play No. 5 Notre Dame, the No. 7 seed, on New Year's Day.
Those who understand this format have been warning about these unintended consequences for months. However, seeing is believing, and Penn State shattered that reality in the Fiesta Bowl, playing as a team ranked 4th but seeded 6th against the Broncos, ranked 9th but seeded 3rd. Simple negligence (or Maybe it was stubborn? Favorite — A game the Nittany Lions ended up winning by 17 points.
“Obviously tonight we didn’t execute the way we needed to win the heavyweight fight that we knew was going to happen,” Danielson said.
Boise State committed four turnovers and 13 penalties. (Mark J. Revillas/Imagine Images)
Boise State was not a charity case. They outgained Penn State by 412 yards to 387, but many of their problems were self-inflicted, including 13 penalties for 90 yards. But a Broncos team that has given up just eight turnovers all season benefited from an opponent who committed four turnovers on Tuesday and played with it for much of the third quarter. Penn State led from beginning to end, and although the lead was cut to 17-14 at one point early in the second half, it felt like the Nittany Lions were in control from beginning to end.
“I think the Big Ten has prepared our players,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “Boise is a really good football team. … We didn't take them lightly. We talk about the maturity of our football team, and I think it shows.”
This loss is not an indictment on Boise State or its previous 12-win season. And this isn't the same argument as people bickering about Indiana and SMU getting at-large bids. There's no honest argument that the Broncos didn't deserve a playoff spot or a chance to compete for a national title.
This team exemplified the bigger tent approach that the sport had been sorely lacking for decades. The same praise and criticism that elevated Boise also applies to Arizona State, the No. 4 seed in the Big 12. Arizona State is ranked No. 12 in the final CFP rankings and will play No. 3 and No. 5 seed Texas in Wednesday's Peach Bowl. But the Broncos have found the first breakthrough that vindicates the “Count Us Out” T-shirts and proves the doubters wrong. In fact, it has become even harder to justify a system that makes losing the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds, and the conference championship, more advantageous than the top two spots.
Boise State has nothing to apologize for. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter admitted: The Athletic Last week, it was announced that the playoff seeding system will likely change, potentially as early as next season. But the Broncos didn't orchestrate or abuse the system.
“We didn't set that (bye) rule,” Koetter said. “I'm smart enough to understand that we might not be the third-best team, but we definitely deserve to be there.”
Danielson echoed similar sentiments after Tuesday's game, just as the clock struck midnight on the East Coast and ushered in a new year. College football in 2025 would be better off with an expanded playoff and a path to competing for a national title. Boise State earned its entry this season, along with SMU, Penn State, Georgia, and every other team in the field. That shouldn't change in the future.
The next time the Broncos get there, their path should look a little different, even if they're on the same field for the same amount of time. That's also Boise State's fault.
even deeper
'This is jubilation': Penn State celebrates Fiesta Bowl win as playoff onslaught continues
(Top photo of Ashton Jeanty: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
