Fiesta Bowl Gameday Guide: Teams, Prediction and How to Watch

The Nittany Lions take on Boise State and Ashton Jeanty for a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin reacts during the first half against the SMU Mustangs at Beaver Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Penn State kicks off the second round of the College Football Playoff with a New Year's duel in the desert. The Nittany Lions take on Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, whick begins playoff Round 2 with a fascinating matchup.

Penn State opened its first playoff run with an assertive 38-10 win over SMU at home. Boise State, meanwhile, hasn't played since beating UNLV on Dec. 6 for the Mountain West championship. Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty says he feels "super fresh" after the break, while Penn State's defense seeks to keep rolling. Here's what you need to know about the Fiesta Bowl.

Penn State (12-2) vs. Boise State (12-1)

• When: 7:30 p.m. ET Dec. 31

• Where: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, California

• TV: ESPN

• Streaming: ESPN+, Disney+

• Betting Line: Penn State is an 11-point favorite, according to DraftKings

• Series History: First meeting

How to Watch, Stream the Fiesta Bowl

ESPN has exclusive rights to the remaining games of the College Football Playoff, including all four quarterfinal-round games on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. ESPN will broadcast the Penn State vs. Boise State game beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 31. In addition, Penn State will get the ESPN MegaCast treatment for the first time. Streamers can watch on ESPN+ or Disney+.

Can't watch the game? Steve Jones and Jack Ham will have the call for the Penn State Sports Network.

Who Are the Fiesta Bowl Announcers?

Bob Wischusen and Louis Riddick will have the call for ESPN, with Kris Budden and Tom Luginbill reporting from the sideline. Penn State is playing on ESPN for the first time since the 2023 Peach Bowl. The Nittany Lions are 11-3 in bowl games broadcast on ESPN.

What Is the Penn State Vs. Boise State Betting Line?

Penn State is an 11-point favorite over the Broncos, according to DraftKings, which is a bigger spread than the Nittany Lions' opener vs. SMU. The over/under is 53 points. Penn State is 15-6 against the spread in its last 20 games as the favorite and 7-5 this season.

Have Penn State and Boise State Played Before?

This the first meeting between Penn State and Boise State, and fittingly it comes in the Fiesta Bowl. The teams have a combined 10-0 record at the bowl, with Penn State bringing a 7-0 mark to the quarterfinal playoff game.

Penn State Vs. Boise State Story Lines

The playoff's top two remaining players go head-to-head in a fascinating Fiesta Bowl matchup. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty has compiled an absurd 1,889 yards after contact, which by itself would lead the nation in rushing. Jeanty's total yardage of 2,497 ranks second among Big Ten teams (behind only Penn State), and his YAC alone is better than 10 (ten!) conference teams (he's tied with USC). No wonder Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen has spent the past week trying to devise creative ways simply to tackle Jeanty.

"We talk about the strike zone, where the strike zone is so compressed because of his build that it's hard to get a good shot on him," Allen said. "You're going to have to gang-tackle him. You have to get every possible guy on that field around him, and they, obviously, will make that hard per their scheme and have a really good offensive line. It's very physical and they have a really good system to be able to do things off of what he does. Obviously, we played a lot of good backs over the years, but he's going to go down as one of the greatest we ever played against."

And then there's Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter, who leads the Power 4 with 21.5 tackles for loss. Carter has been a speed-rush dynamo this season, generating unrivaled pressure through the season's second half, but he also has outrageous speed and can chase sideline to sideline. The key is, can Carter and his defense (notably the linebackers) wrap Jeanty and get him to the ground? Carter and Jeanty would put on a pay-per-view worthy Oklahoma drill by themselves, but this game will be decided by more than two All-Americans.

Penn State is across-the-board better than Boise State, particularly in a defensive line vs. offensive line way. As a result, quarterback Maddux Madsen might be Boise State's most pivotal player, because he'll have to make some play-action throws and scrambles to complement Jeanty. Even if the Heisman Trophy runnerup goes for 150+ yards, the Nittany Lions could take control of the game by mitigating his scoring impact and pressing Madsen into a larger role.

Fiesta Bowl Predictions

Mark Wogenrich: Penn State wants to cut/paste the SMU code into this game. They don't need two pick-sixes, but the Nittany Lions would love to put Boise State in some duress. The Broncos have trailed in just 11 percent of their game minutes, rallying for a season-high 14-0 deficit to beat San Jose State. Do they have a comeback quarterback ready to face Penn State's pass rush? Jeanty's going to be so much fun to watch. So will Penn State's Nicholas Singleton, who shines on a fast track as well. Penn State 27, Boise State 17

Daniel Mader: It feels painfully obvious to say this game will likely come down to how well-prepared the Nittany Lions are to tackle Ashton Jeanty, but it's true. Boise State doesn’t give the ball away often, so there’s little chance Penn State will be able to ride turnovers to victory like it did vs. SMU. However, I do think an elite Nittany Lions run defense (100.5 rushing yards allowed per game) will limit Jeanty’s impact, creating a deficit too difficult for the Broncos to overcome. I think Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen continue their recent dominance on the ground as well. Penn State 34, Boise State 21

Sam Woloson: After slamming SMU in the first round, I feel confident in Penn State’s chances against another team that is less talented on paper. I expect Ashton Jeanty to get his production early, but that will be hard to maintain if Boise State has to play from behind. The key for the Nittany Lions will be to get an early lead and force the Broncos into passing situations, which I think they’ll do to get a solid win. Penn State 31, Boise State 21

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