The Fiesta Bowl
There's nothing like spending the holidays with your family and watching sports. I always love it. I think the big topic of conversation is in the world of football right now. No, not European Football. I’m talking American Football, specifically in the college realm (I will get to the NFL in a different post).
The College Football Playoff Quarterfinals are set to kick off tomorrow as Boise State will take on Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl. The quarterfinal matchups will continue on January 1st with the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and Peach Bowl. I will be doing a blog post profiling each of the Quarterfinal games, their importance, and my prediction of the outcome of the game.
Tomorrow’s Fiesta Bowl will be a very interesting matchup to watch as Boise State comes from the weaker Mountain West Conference, while Penn State hails from the dominant Big 10. Can Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty prove that non-power 4 conference teams can win when the lights are bright? Or will Penn State continue to show that conferences like the SEC and Big 10 will always reign supreme? The Fiesta Bowl is a place of glory for both teams competing. Penn State has a record of 7-0 when playing in the Fiesta Bowl, while Boise State has a record of 3-0. Penn State may edge out Boise with the better record, but they don’t have the same legendary moment that Boise State has.
In 2007 #9 Boise State faced off against #7 ranked Oklahoma. The matchup was considered David vs Goliath. Boise State from the small Western Athletic Conference (WAC) was up against Oklahoma from the Big 12. Sure, Boise State was good but they couldn’t beat a team like Oklahoma. Could they? Well in one of the greatest college football games of all time, Boise State took Oklahoma to overtime thanks to the famous “Hook and Ladder” play, and then won it in overtime with another trick play, “The Statue of Liberty.” David had beat Goliath and 2007 Boise State was cemented in college football legend, and Fiesta Bowl glory.
Tomorrow's game between PSU and Boise should be a fun one. While Boise State is ranked higher they still have to face an arguably better team than Penn State. It is another David vs Goliath matchup, on a stage both teams are familiar with. Boise State will be led by Ashton Jeanty, the best running back in football. The only thing that could bring them down is that Big 10 teams are just better than Mountain West teams. QB Drew Allar leads Penn State, and their dominant backfield in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. The only thing that could stop them is that head coach James Franklin can’t win big games. My prediction: David conquers Goliath again, and Boise State wins 38-35.
