BOISE, Idaho — Editor's Note: The video above originally aired on Aug. 31.
Like a bear crawling out of its den and smelling the first spring breeze, Bronco Nation will wake up on Thursday morning knowing it's the first game day of the 2021 college football season.
At 5 p.m. MT in the Bounce House in Orlando, the Boise State Broncos will take on the University of Central Florida Knights in the season opener for the 2021 campaign.
This clash of Group of 5 powers will be under the lights and in primetime on Thursday on ESPN.
While Boise State hasn't reached the heights it once did as the king of the Western Athletic Conference, the Broncos have found a dominant role in the Mountain West Conference, appearing in four straight conference championships.
The power vacuum atop of the Group of 5 without Boise State has been filled by UCF in recent years, claiming the G5's New Year's 6 Bowl bid in 2018 and 2019. Oh, and the Knights also claim an imaginary national championship for the 2017 season, despite not playing in the national championship, so that's good for them.
The ESPN crew calling the Broncos' season opener on Thursday will be Matt Barrie, Roddy Jones and Harry Lyles Jr.
For an in-depth breakdown of the Broncos' season opener and what the Boise State coaching staff thinks of the Knights, check out KTVB's Game Day Guide here.
ON TV
The game will be televised on ESPN, which can be found on the following channels:
- Sparklight (formerly Cable One): Channel 133 / 1133 (HD)
- DirecTV: Channel 206
- Dish Network: Channel 140
- Cox: Channel 32
ON THE RADIO
Fans can listen to the game on the Bronco Radio Network, which can be found online or on the following stations in the Boise area:
- KBOI 670 AM in Boise
- KTIK 93.1 FM in Boise
- KDZY 98.3 FM in McCall
- KSNQ 98.3 FM in Twin Falls
Here is a list of Bronco Radio Network stations outside the Boise area.
STREAMING
The game will stream live on the WatchESPN app, available in Apple and Android app stores. The service is only available to subscribers of participating cable and satellite television providers (including Cable One, Dish Network and DirecTV).
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