The final college football game of 2024 will determine the first semifinal participant in the College Football Playoff.
[More CFP: Ohio State vs. Oregon | Notre Dame vs. Georgia | Texas vs. Arizona State]
Date: Dec. 31 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET | TV: ESPN | Line: Penn State -10.5 | Total: 52.5
How these teams got here
Penn State: The Nittany Lions dominated SMU in the first round of the playoff. Penn State had three first-half interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns in the 38-10 win over the No. 11 Mustangs.
Boise State: The Broncos are the Mountain West Conference champions and enter the game on an 11-game win streak. Boise State’s only loss of the season came to Oregon in Week 2. Boise State lost that game 37-34, though many people may not remember it because it kicked off late at night for most of the country and was only available on Peacock.
Since then, the Broncos have won all but three games by more than one score and beat UNLV twice. The second win came in the MWC title game when Boise State went up 21-0 in the first half on the way to a 21-7 victory.
How the QBs stack up
Boise State’s Maddux Madsen beat out former USC QB Malachi Nelson — now in the transfer portal — for the starting job and has been solid despite being overshadowed by a certain Heisman finalist. Madsen has thrown just three interceptions all season long and hasn’t thrown a pick in four games. He’s thrown for over 2,700 yards and 22 TDs so far this season and has added five touchdowns on the ground.
Drew Allar didn’t do much against SMU. But he also didn’t have to. Allar was 13-of-22 for 127 yards in the win over the Mustangs. It was his lowest passing output of the season, though Penn State rushed for three scores and had a lot of good field position. Allar did cross the 3,000-yard mark during the game and has 27 TD passes with nine interceptions.
Players to watch
Penn State TE Tyler Warren: Warren’s stats look like Travis Kelce’s in the 2010s when the Chiefs didn’t have a star wide receiver to complement him. Warren has 92 catches for 1,095 yards and six TDs. Harrison Wallace III is the team’s second-leading receiver; he has 43 catches for 686 yards and four scores. Warren lines up all over the field and has attempted six passes with three completions for 35 yards and a score, and has 24 carries for 197 yards and a TD. Casual college football fans are in for a treat on Tuesday night if they’re discovering Warren for the first time.
Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty: We had to go with Jeanty in this category and feel bad going this far into the preview to mention the Heisman runner-up. Jeanty leads all of college football with 2,497 yards and has over 800 yards more than anyone else. He is 132 yards away from breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season record of 2,628 yards and has rushed for fewer than 132 yards in just one game this season. Jeanty is fantastic and would be the Heisman winner in most seasons. Unfortunately for him, 2024 featured the two-way greatness of Travis Hunter.
Key to the game
It’s extremely unlikely that Boise State is going to turn the ball over like SMU did in the first round. The Mustangs had a propensity for turnovers all season long and Penn State capitalized to force multiple turnovers for the seventh time this season.
The Nittany Lions have allowed just 1,405 rushing yards all season and opponents are averaging 3.1 yards a carry. USC is the only team to rush for more than five yards a carry against Penn State (24 carries for 189 yards). Boise State averages 6.8 yards a carry as a team. It’s trite to say that slowing down Jeanty is imperative for Penn State, but it’s also the truth. Madsen has played well in 2024, but forcing him to win the game is Penn State’s best option.
