Honestly, if you weren't watching Boise State football 2024, you missed the year the Group of Five finally kicked the door down. Most people outside of Idaho think Boise State is just "that team with the blue field" that pulls off a trick play once every decade. But 2024 was different. It wasn't about gimmicks. It was about a human bowling ball named Ashton Jeanty and a head coach, Spencer Danielson, who basically willed a locker room to believe they belonged in the national championship conversation.
They finished 12-2. They won the Mountain West. They made the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. But those numbers don't actually tell you what it felt like to be a Bronco fan this past fall. It was stressful. It was exhilarating. And yeah, it ended with a tough 31-14 loss to Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl, but that doesn't erase the fact that Boise State was the most talked-about "small" school in America for four straight months.
The Ashton Jeanty Factor: Better Than the Hype?
Let's talk about Jeanty. You've probably seen the stats, but let me put them in perspective because they're kind of absurd. The guy rushed for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns. He didn't just lead the nation; he was outrunning entire teams. There were 115 FBS programs that had fewer rushing yards as a collective unit than Ashton Jeanty had by himself.
He stayed at Boise. That’s the thing nobody talks about enough. In the era of the transfer portal, where a guy with his talent could have easily chased a seven-figure NIL deal at an SEC or Big Ten school, he chose to stay in Boise. He wanted a legacy. He got it.
Watching him against Georgia Southern in the opener was like watching a video game on easy mode. He put up 267 yards and six touchdowns. Six. In one game. But it wasn't just the weak opponents. When they went into Autzen Stadium to play No. 7 Oregon—a team that eventually went to the Big Ten title game—Jeanty gashed them for 192 yards and three scores. Boise State lost that game 37-34 on a last-second field goal, but that was the night the rest of the country realized the Broncos weren't just a "fun story." They were a problem.
Breaking Records and Breaking Tackles
Jeanty didn't just run; he punished people. He broke the 44-year-old school record held by Cedric Minter for career rushing yards. He tied LaDainian Tomlinson’s record for most 70-plus-yard touchdown runs in a single season. Honestly, he should have won the Heisman. Travis Hunter is a generational talent, sure, but Jeanty’s 2024 campaign was a historical outlier that we might not see again for twenty years.
🔗 Read more: Who Won the Golf Tournament This Weekend: Richard T. Lee and the 2026 Season Kickoff
The Quarterback "Controversy" That Wasn't
Going into the season, everyone was obsessed with Malachi Nelson. He was the five-star transfer from USC, the guy who was supposed to be the "savior." But Spencer Danielson did something brave: he started Maddux Madsen.
Madsen is about 5-10 on a good day. He doesn't look like a prototype NFL quarterback. But the kid is a winner. He beat out a former No. 1 overall recruit because he knew the playbook, he didn't turn the ball over, and he had the respect of the huddle.
Madsen finished the season with over 3,000 passing yards and 25 touchdowns. He was the perfect "point guard" for this offense. While everyone was keyed in on stopping Jeanty, Madsen would hit Matt Lauter or Latrell Caples for a back-breaking third-down conversion. He played with a chip on his shoulder the size of a potato, and it worked.
Spencer Danielson: The Culture Architect
You have to remember how 2023 ended. Andy Avalos was fired mid-season, and Danielson took over as the interim. He won the Mountain West title as an interim coach, which is basically unheard of. When he got the full-time job for the 2024 season, the energy in the Treasure Valley shifted.
Danielson is a "Built Different" guy. He's high energy, highly emotional, and deeply connected to his players. He brought back Dirk Koetter—the former Boise State and NFL head coach—to run the offense. That move was genius. Koetter’s scheme combined with Danielson’s defensive background made Boise State the most balanced team in the Mountain West.
💡 You might also like: The Truth About the Memphis Grizzlies Record 2025: Why the Standings Don't Tell the Whole Story
The Road to the Mountain West Title
They ran the table in conference play. It wasn't always pretty—the 17-13 win over Wyoming in the regular-season finale was a rock fight—but they found ways to win. By the time they met UNLV in the Mountain West Championship game, the blue turf at Albertsons Stadium was vibrating.
A record crowd of over 36,000 people saw Boise State win 21-7. The defense was the real story there. They held a high-powered UNLV offense to its lowest point total of the season. They finished the year with 51 sacks, a new program record. This wasn't your older brother's Boise State that relied on lateral passes and trickery; this was a physical, nasty football team that beat you up at the line of scrimmage.
The CFP Reality Check
Then came the Fiesta Bowl. Being the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff felt like a dream. Boise State got a first-round bye, which was a huge deal for a Group of Five school.
But Penn State was a different animal. The Nittany Lions had the size and depth to do what nobody else could: they bottled up Jeanty. He still managed to grind out over 100 yards, because that's just who he is, but the explosive plays weren't there.
Boise State fought. They trailed 14-0 early, clawed back to make it 17-14 in the third quarter after a 53-yard bomb from Madsen to Matt Lauter, but the depth of a Big Ten powerhouse eventually won out. It was a 31-14 loss that stung, but it didn't feel like a failure. It felt like a benchmark.
📖 Related: The Division 2 National Championship Game: How Ferris State Just Redrew the Record Books
What Most People Get Wrong About Boise State Football 2024
People think this was a "one-off" or a "lucky year." It wasn't.
What made the 2024 season special wasn't just Jeanty. It was the fact that the school invested. They upgraded the stadium. They secured the NIL funding to keep their best players. They hired a coach who actually wanted to be there rather than using it as a stepping stone.
Most "experts" expected Boise State to struggle with the pressure of being the CFP favorite for the Group of Five. Instead, they embraced it. They were the hunted all year, and they still finished as a top-10 team in the final AP poll.
Actionable Insights for the Future
If you're following Boise State moving forward, here is the reality of the landscape after this historic 2024 run:
- The Blueprint for G5 Schools: Boise State proved that you can keep elite talent in the portal era if you have a strong culture and local business support. Jeanty's decision to stay is now the case study for every other non-power conference school.
- Defensive Identity Matters: While the offense gets the headlines, the 51 sacks in 2024 showed that Danielson’s defensive background is the team's true floor. Look for them to continue recruiting high-motor edge rushers like Ahmed Hassanein.
- The Quarterback Model: Maddux Madsen proved you don't need a 5-star recruit to win big in Boise. You need a processor. Future recruiting will likely prioritize "fit" over "stars."
- The Playoff Standard: Now that they've made the 12-team field, anything less than a Mountain West title and a CFP berth will be seen as a down year. The bar has been permanently raised.
The 2024 season was the bridge between the old "Cinderella" Boise State and the new "Group of Six" powerhouse Boise State. It was the year the blue turf became the most dangerous place in college football again.
Next Steps for Bronco Fans:
To stay ahead of the curve, you should track the 2025 recruiting class rankings specifically for defensive line depth, as replacing the veteran sack production will be the biggest hurdle for Danielson's sophomore season. Also, keep an eye on the official Boise State Athletics portal for updates on the North End Zone expansion, which is the next logical step in their bid to remain a national player in the expanded CFP era.