August 30, 2026

Article By Josh Fife

Act 1 – How We Got Here
The faces of Oklahoma fans are etched into our brains forever. It wasn’t that they lost. It was disbelief of who they lost to. THAT little “team” from small-town Boi-zee, Idaho? Aren’t they just potato farmers? Do they have shopping malls there? How cute, they play “football.” Twenty years later, we remember that night and the jubilation in the hours, days and months that followed. But maybe, more importantly, some of us “old timers” have never forgotten what it took to get there.

Kline. Eiden. Jacoby. Allison. Smith. Blankley. Knap. Criner. Setencich. Hall. Allen. Mason. Nutt. Koetter. Hawkins. Petersen. Harsin. Avalos. Danielson. 1933 to today. Nearly 100 years of Boise State football. Nearly 100 years of Broncos putting on the uniform and walking onto the field. MANY ups. MANY downs. We didn’t get here overnight, Bronco Fam.

My mind often wanders back to December of 1994. Pokey Allen rides the horse. And to a 10-year-old kid, Pokey was larger than life. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was experiencing the beginning of a lifelong love affair for the Blue and Orange. To the tried-and-true Bronco fans who had been there for decades already, Pokey was the leader of the ship, trying to move Boise State further along in the progression of all things college football. Then cancer. And heartbreak. We’ll never forget you, Pokey.

Enter Houston Nutt, and, perhaps, the true beginnings of the modern-day Boise State era, as we know it. Houston was tasked with an enormous job. It was no longer I-AA football. We were with the big dogs now. However, in true rivalry fashion, the biggest win of the year came at fellow little guy Idaho, where the Broncos had lost every time since 1981.

Dirk pushed us further down that road in his short stint as the head coach. Two ten-win seasons, two bowl victories, two conference ‘ships. The table was set, and the bar that many now call “the standard” was raised. Then Hawk. The victories really piled up here. 53 wins and only 11 losses. Four straight WAC titles. The “standard” bar? Even higher.

Then Pete. Oh, what a ride with Coach Pete. If you’ve been a fan for more than a minute, you know Chris Petersen is synonymous with Boise State. There is no separating what the program has become from the height of the bar that was set under Coach Pete’s reign. The Fiesta Bowls were great, the championships were amazing, and the players that graced the blue during that era will never be forgotten – enter an orange 11-yard line.

Then Harsin. Seven years, almost 70 more wins. Was it a Coach Pete type of run? Perhaps not. But still, the bar was WAY up there, and a third Fiesta Bowl was added. Then Avalos. And, well, while some coaches could go 22-14 and consider that success, a BSU coach cannot. It’s that high bar.

And, finally, (for now), Coach D. Currently sitting at 24-8. One of those eight losses, however, was that small glimpse, that little reminder, that the bar is in fact VERY high. Fiesta Bowl appearances aren’t enough anymore. And there’s NO question this current installment of head coaches embraces that high bar. Seldom does a press conference go by without Spencer mentioning the high bar, the expectations, the absolute MUST for players to WANT this as bad as he does.

And Bronco Fam, we also MUST be passionate at this time. We don’t need to go into a lengthy diatribe about the current state of college football. You all know. It’s hanging by the proverbial thread. Except that thread is held by institutions WAY out of our control. The scissors that are ready to cut said thread are closing in. It feels bleak. It feels frustrating. It feels flat out wrong. Completely out of our control. But we can remember.

We remember the coach who fought cancer while still loving the Broncos. We remember the losses to the Vandals and the relentless deluge of trash-talk that came from their fans after those games. We remember the 8-5 season in 2013 and the departure of a coach we were incredibly lucky to have as long as we did. We remember the tumultuous Avalos era (full disclosure: let’s temper the blame on Avalos. Some blame comes in the form of “the standard” – and that’s okay). We remember last year’s 9-5 record as well.

But. We also remember Pokey’s ride. We remember why Lyle Smith has the statue. We remember the 1980 National ‘Ship season (and yes, I got it, it was FCS. Okay.) We remember the installation of the blue that is now synonymous with Boise State, the most iconic field in all of American sports – and, dare I say, bigger than potatoes.

We remember the transition into a truly golden era under Nutt, Koetter and Hawkins, who took the Broncos to heights we didn’t know were attainable at a “little” Boise State. We remember Circus. We remember Statue left, the fist pumps from coach Pete, and the proposal. We remember the Kellen/Pete years, the Harsin Fiesta Bowl and Mountain West titles that came under his leadership. We remember the Oklahoma, Georgia, Oregon (x3), TCU, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Washington, and Arizona victories.

The wins and the glory were great. But take it from Coach Pete. Time and time again, when asked about the significance of the big wins – especially that opening-day victory against Oregon – he reminds us of something much simpler: it’s one game. Game two is just as important.

But PLEASE remember the WHY that Coach D so passionately proposes often: these are not just football players. They are future members of our #BleedBlue family. Future supporters of our program, our city, our state. Future fathers, husbands, best friends, business owners, members of our community.

And so, here we are. 2026. A familiar foe staring back at us, ready to dominate, ready to “cover the spread” and ready to remind us that, in the eyes of much of the college football world, Boise State still represents “the little guy.” Trust us Duck fans, we remember. Oh man, do we remember.