Fiesta Bowl Preview: Boise State Broncos vs. Penn State Nittany Lions
The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Boise State Broncos will square off on Tuesday, December 31, 2024, in the Fiesta Bowl and what has become the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoffs.
This game will take place at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ. The oddsmakers at MyBookie have made Penn State 10 1/2 point favorites, with the total being 53.5 points. One thing we want to mention before we get started into this article, is the fact that you should search around for the best line in this game due to the fact that we’ve seen this line as high as Penn State -11 and as low as Penn State minus 9 1/2.
Penn State Nittany Lions Preview
The Penn State Nittany Lions come into this game after beating SMU Mustangs 38 – 10 on December 21st, 2024 in round one of the College Football Playoffs. The game was pretty much dominated by the Nittany Lions from start to finish, as they jumped out in front and never got close to losing the game.
Many people felt that SMU didn’t belong in the College Football Playoffs and a better matchup would have been Alabama or South Carolina. But nonetheless, SMU made it and got destroyed by 28 points.
The focus for Penn State here will be their defense how they will stop Boise State running back and Heisman Trophy runner up Ashton Jeanty. The Nittany Lions defense is ranked 10th nationally in total defense and are seventh against the run.
The downfall for Penn State as they will have to travel out West and have less time to prepare than Boise State. Boise State hasn’t played since December 6th 2024 when they knocked off UNLV 21 – 17, compared to Penn State we just played on December 21st and the game mentioned above against SMU.
Boise State Broncos Preview
Word to the wise do not underestimate the Boise State Broncos here in the Fiesta Bowl! Boise State ended up finishing the season with a record of 12 – 1. Their only loss on the season came on September 7th on the road against the number one team in the country Oregon ducks.
They were 18 point underdogs in that game and it came right down to the wire as Oregon 37 – 34 in a very close game. Since that game, they have ran the table beating everyone that was put in front of them and going on an 11 game win streak.
The problem with Boise State is they are now facing a team with real quality in Penn State. Boise State has a tendency to get sloppy on defense and rely heavily on running back Ashton Jeanty to make up the mistakes and keep them in the game.
Missed tackles against lower level teams can be covered up but missed tackles against a team like Penn State and you will find yourself down by 21 at the blink of an eye.
Handicapping Selection
Hearts across America want to root for the underdog in the Fiesta Bowl and the underdog in this case is none other than the Boise State Broncos. They are roughly 10 point underdogs, depending on where you play it, But truth be told they are not on the same level as Penn State. Penn State will win this game and dominating fashion and move on to the next realm of the college football playoffs but we aren’t confident enough to lay the big number at MyBookie.
We think the better and smarter wager for this game is on the total and the over. Both teams should put some points on the board and send this one over the posted number. Again, we like Penn State but not -10 points. Take the over here!
Pick: Over 53.5
