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Boise State vs. Penn State odds: Early point spread released for Fiesta Bowl, College Football Playoff quarterfinal

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•12/21/24•

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Penn State HC James Franklin and Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty
Photo of James Franklin: © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images; Photo of Ashton Jeanty: © Troy Babbitt-Imagn Images

The second College Football Playoff quarterfinal is set. It will be Boise State vs. Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl, and the early point spread has been released for the matchup.

The Nittany Lions opened as 10.5-point favorites over the Broncos, according to FanDuel. The over-under also opened at 54.5.

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Boise State received a bye to the quarterfinal as one of the four highest-ranked conference champions, winning the Mountain West. That meant the Broncos had to wait for SMU vs. Penn State to find out who they’d play in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Nittany Lions dominated the first half of Saturday’s game at Beaver Stadium en route to the victory over SMU. Now, the Fiesta Bowl is set as Penn State and Boise State get ready to square off in the CFP quarterfinal. The winner will advance to the semifinal at the Orange Bowl.

Boise State vs. Penn State will kick off Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Here’s how to watch the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Fiesta Bowl.

How to watch the Fiesta Bowl

Time: Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Location: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.

Boise State put together an impressive run to a Mountain West title, only losing to Oregon during the regular season. The Broncos took down UNLV in the MWC Championship to punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff and secured a bye as the No. 3 seed.

Ashton Jeanty put together an all-time season to lead the Boise State charge. He finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting – the closest race since 2009 – as he rushed for an FBS-leading 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Jeanty and the Broncos looked on as Penn State and SMU squared off. The Nittany Lions struck first when the defense capitalized on mistake from Kevin Jennings. Dominic DeLuca took the interception 23 yards to the end zone for a pick-six to give Penn State the 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

It happened again early in the second quarter. Jennings threw his second interception of the day when Tony Rojas picked him off and took it back 59 yards to the house to make it a 14-0 Penn State lead with 13:09 to go in the second quarter.

The lead grew to 28-0 before halftime, but SMU got on the board with a field goal to start the second half. However, Penn State kept its foot on the gas, eventually extending the lead to 38-3 in the fourth quarter before the Mustangs scored their first touchdown of the day with 7:31 to play. That made it a 38-10 ballgame.