Happy Football Day, Bronco Nation! Kickoff at South Florida is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. MT/5:30 p.m. ET with Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Tom Luginbill (analyst) and Harry Lyles Jr. (sideline) calling the action.
 
After winning back-to-back Mountain West championships for the first time and reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time, Boise State's 2024 season—Coach Danielson’s first full season as head coach—came to a close with a 12-2 record, 7-0 conference record and 7-0 home record.

🏈 : FULL OPENING KICKOFF BRIEFING/HOW TO TUNE IN

And, in breaking uni news… 🗞️ 🏈 👇🏼

What else is mixed into today’s piping hot edition of the Good Morning, Bronco Nation Brew? Scroll down to find out!

🏈 Football is Back, Baby; Matt Lauter’s B1: Feature
⚽️ Soccer Home Opener vs. Montana is TONIGHT
💙 Blue Turf is Best Sports Attraction … Again!
🔷 And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Let’s Talk a Blue Streak. Boise State's BLUE turf was named Best Attraction for Sports Fans by an online public vote in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice travel award contest, the publication announced today. The BLUE at Albertsons Stadium, on the campus of Boise State University, was also the 2023 and 2024 winner. It was one of 20 attractions nominated that bring sports fans closer to the action as they pay homage to the people, places, and moments that make sports so compelling. 

Each year, approximately 18,500+ visitors from all 50 U.S. states and 50 countries set aside time to visit the attraction. Tourists and fans can view The BLUE on weekdays, on non-Bronco football game days, by visiting the Allen Noble Hall of Fame.

🔼 Mountains Eleven. Of course, the huge news is this afternoon’s Bronco football opener, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t share some impressive alumni news. NFL rosters have been finalized for Week One of the 2025 season, and 11 Boise State products represent the program at the game's highest level. Last year, 12 Boise State players saw action during the NFL regular season, with five helping their teams earn a spot in the playoffs. Khalil Shakir (Buffalo), John Bates (Washington) and Jeremy McNichols (Washington) led their franchises to a conference championship appearance.

🏈 : MORE ON THESE 11 PLAYERS

🔼 The Florida Man Returns. The 25th-ranked Broncos took a four-hour trip from Boise to the Sunshine State on Wednesday as they are set for the 2025 season opener at South Florida on Thursday (3:30 pm MT, ESPN, Bronco Radio Network).

For redshirt senior tight end Matt Lauter, the flight followed a somewhat familiar path. Lauter is a Florida man.

Although he signed with Boise State out of Torrey Pines High School, Lauter was born and raised in Florida. The Lauter family moved to North County San Diego to attend the prestigious preparatory school. Torrey Pines has churned out former NFLers John Lynch and Chad Hutchinson, among others, over the years.

🔷 Read the B1: Feature: “Florida Man Returns” for more. 🔶

🔼 Bronco Studios, But Make It Tampa. ICYMI! You can catch it HERE!

🏈 And we’re not ones to name-drop about legendary visits for pre-game motivational speeches, but, well … you’ll see… 👀 👇🏼 💫

🔼 Javan Buchanan, 2.0. If you have been following Bronco MBB during the offseason, you know that the coaches have taken the time to preview each player, and Associate Head Coach Mike Burns is stoked to have a healthy JB back this year.

“Javan Buchanan is poised to have a breakout season for the Broncos this year. I think what people didn’t realize is that last year, he played with a torn labrum in his hip and a herniated disc in his back, and he was still Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year. Getting a healthy Javan back is exciting, not only for us, but for him.”

＃: JAVAN BUCHANAN STATS 🏀

🚨 And here is your sneak peek at this season’s MBB uniforms: 🚨

🔼 Preseason Props. Boise State's men's and women's cross country teams placed second in the 2025 Mountain West Preseason Poll. In the women's poll, the Broncos were picked second with 111 points and one first-place vote. With 61 points, Boise State's men's team ranked second in the preseason poll.

🗣 "Being ranked second in the preseason poll illustrates the strides and improvement we've made as a program," head coach Pat McCurry said.
 
The Broncos will begin the 2025 campaign at the Lewis & Clark Opener in Portland, Ore., tomorrow—Friday, Aug. 29.

📱 FROM THE A.D.

🤔 BLUE TURF TRIVIA

Bronco Bull Bonanza. With this afternoon’s game coming in hot, today’s trivia asks: How many times have the Boise State Broncos played the South Florida Bulls?

🗣️ SPREAD THE WORD

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🗓 LOOKING AHEAD

*All times in MT unless otherwise listed

Thursday, Aug. 28
🏈 Football Opener @ South Florida (Tampa, Florida) @ 3:30 p.m. TV: ESPN Radio: Bronco Radio Network | WEAR BLUE | Watch | Listen | Live Stats
⚽️ Women’s Soccer Home Opener vs. Montana @ 7 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats | Tickets

Friday, Aug. 29
👟 Cross Country @ Lewis & Clark Invite (Portland, Oregon)
🏐 Women’s Volleyball vs. Navy (Orem, Utah) @ 10 a.m.
🏐 Women’s Volleyball vs. Montana (Orem, Utah) @ 5 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 30
🏐 Women’s Volleyball @ Utah Valley (Orem, Utah) @ 3 p.m. | Live Stats

Sunday, Aug. 31
⚽️ Women’s Soccer vs. CSU Bakersfield @ 1 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats | Tickets

Friday, Sept. 5
🏈 Football Home Opener vs. Eastern Washington @ 7 p.m. TV: FS1 Radio: Bronco Radio Network | ORANGE 🍊 BLUE STRIPEOUT

🔷 Go here to view the entire Boise State Athletics Calendar

ℹ️ TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Zero!

Boise State and South Florida have never played each other in football, as today’s historical game marks the teams’ first-ever meeting on the gridiron.

🔷 Happy Football Day, Bronco Nation!