Sixth-seeded Penn State battles No. 3 Boise State Tuesday in Glendale, Ariz., in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal that’s becoming more affordable by the day.

In the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff, the No. 5 Penn State Nittany Lions (12-2) will play the No. 8 Boise State Broncos (12-1) in the Fiesta Bowl, starting at 7:30 p.m. ET in

Outlook/notes: It’s been a long time since a good major-college offense has been built around one running back as much as Boise is around Ashton Jeanty, the Heisman Trophy runner-up whose numbers (2,497 yards, 29 touchdowns, an estimated 1,889 yards after contact) have become familiar, if no less mind-numbing.

Penn State is 7-0 in the Fiesta Bowl, having last played in the contest at the end of the 2017 season. James Franklin’s Nittany Lions defeated Washington 35-28 in the game. ESPN will broadcast the game with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. (EST) on New Year’s Eve.

Maddux Madsen and Boise State’s offense will face off with Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl with a trip to the CFP semifinals on the line.

Following its 38-10 win over SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Penn State ascended to No. 7 in ESPN's SP+ defensive rankings. Even with the nation's best running back in Ashton Jeanty, Boise State's offense ranks 13th.

When Ioane, a native of the Seattle area, de-committed from the University of Washington, Collins suggested he speak to Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein. Ioane wound up committing to the Lions in February 2022.

Penn State has enlisted Tyler Holzworth, a junior, to mimic Jeanty on the scout team. It’s an impossible ask, but the 6-0, 219-pound Nittany Lions back can help present some of the same looks that Boise State gives with Jeanty.

Penn State's defense will have a huge task in trying to slow down Boise State star Ashton Jeanty in Tuesday's Fiesta Bowl.

The Nittany Lions and Broncos are a combined 10-0 at the Fiesta Bowl, where they will meet for the first time.