BOISE, Idaho — For the first time since December, Boise State football makes its return to The Blue on Saturday for a big-time battle with the University of Central Florida. Both programs seek a statement win after opposite results to start the season.
For the Mountain West favorite Broncos, defeating the favored Knights would provide some much-needed momentum amid a tough non-conference schedule. A win would give Boise State its 22nd consecutive victory in a home opener and revamp sky-high expectations prior to last week's loss in Seattle.
Over the past decade, Boise State and UCF have been considered two of the most dominant Group of 5 football programs in the county, both having grabbed national attention with Fiesta Bowl wins. Now, the Knights will become just the third Big 12 Conference squad to ever visit the City of Trees.
UCF has never won on the road against a Mountain West team, and the Knights are just 1-8 all-time when playing west of the Continental Divide. Defeating the Broncos would certainly inch the black and gold closer to entering the top 25 before it makes its debut against Big 12 opponents.
Saturday's contest is set to kick off at 5 p.m. in what could be close to a sell-out crowd at Albertsons Stadium. It will likely be a picture-perfect football day for Bronco Nation, with sunshine and temperatures close to 90 degrees in the afternoon. The Broncos-Knights matchup will be televised on Fox Sports 1.
Before the game gets underway, fans can tune into the Bronco Roundup Game Day Show from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday for an inside scoop on storylines surrounding Boise State's home opener.
The pre-game show includes insight from KTVB Sports Director Jay Tust and sports reporter Brady Frederick, live on KTVB Channel 7, KTVB.COM, KTVB+ on Roku and Amazon Fire TV and the KTVB mobile app. Bronco Nation can expect interviews, injury updates, players to watch and more, live from the sidelines of Albertsons Stadium.
During last week's Bronco Roundup Game Day Show, KTVB had one-on-one interviews with Avery Williams, Scott Matlock, Jeramiah Dickey, Andy Avalos, Bush Hamdan, Chris Petersen and Grant Hedrick. If you bleed blue and orange, you will want to pre-game with Channel 7.
For an in-depth breakdown of Boise State vs. UCF and information on tailgating, parking, concessions, promotions and more, check out KTVB's Game Day Guide. The guide also includes odds and predictions, series history, a stats comparison, press conference interviews and what to expect from each team.
KTVB will live stream Boise State's post-game press conference on KTVB.COM, the KTVB YouTube channel and the KTVB mobile app Saturday evening. Interviews with head coach Andy Avalos and players will be posted online soon after the press conference ends, so Bronco Nation can watch the press conference whenever and wherever they want.
Stay tuned to KTVB.COM after the season opener for a recap, highlights and comments from Saturday's showdown.
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