BOISE, Idaho — After more than eight months of waiting and an offseason full of optimism, the 2023 Boise State football team finally takes the field Saturday at 1:30 p.m. MT in Seattle against No. 10 Washington.
Both squads open the season with high expectations after posting more than 10 wins and claiming a bowl victory last fall. The Broncos are considered the favorite to win the Mountain West under third-year head coach Andy Avalos, while the Huskies are expected to compete for a Pac-12 title with seven preseason all-conference honorees.
Saturday's contest marks the Broncos' first trip to Husky Stadium since 2013 and just the second time Boise State begins a season against a top-10 team in the nation. Washington leads the all-time series 3-2, most recently beating Boise State in December 2019 in Chris Petersen's coaching finale in Las Vegas.
While its just the sixth meeting between the two programs, there are plenty of ties between the blue and orange and purple and gold beyond Petersen. Boise State first-year coordinator Bush Hamdan and safeties coach Kane Ioane both spent two years in Seattle, while former Broncos Scott Huff and Lee Marks are on the Washington sideline, to name a few.
Hamdan admitted "it's not just gonna be another game" when he makes his return to the 'Greatest Setting in College Football.' The season-opening battle is also special because of the nation audience it will draw on ABC.
Before the 2023 campaign officially gets underway, fans can tune into the Bronco Roundup Game Day Show from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. MT Saturday for an inside scoop on storylines surrounding the battle on Lake Washington.
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 Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium.
For an in-depth breakdown of Boise State vs. Washington, and information on ways to watch the season opener, check out KTVB's Game Day Guide.
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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