A little synergy went a long way in Boise State and Oregon State being selected to play in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve.
The basketball teams of both schools were already scheduled to take part in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic that begins Dec. 22. Might as well bring the football teams over here to provide some extra incentive for those living in Idaho and Oregon to make the trip to Hawaii for the holiday season.
Boise State was the first part of the equation announced by Hawaii Bowl executive director David A.K. Matlin on Sunday. As the marquee program and runner-up in the West Division of the Mountain West Conference, the Broncos were a good pick to play here in the attractive non-BCS bowl game that kicks off at 3 p.m. The game will be shown nationally on ESPN.
Despite Boise State coach Chris Petersen’s departure to the University of Washington last week, the Broncos figure to provide stout competition for Oregon State. This is the second appearance in this game for the 8-4 Broncos and the first for the 6-6 Beavers. Oregon State finished fourth in the North Division of the Pac-12.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for the Oregon State football program to represent the Pac-12 conference at a region this university has strong ties to," OSU athletic director Bob De Carolis said in a release. "The state of Hawaii has a strong presence on the OSU campus and this presents another opportunity to strengthen that relationship. Beaver Nation is excited for the opportunity and I anticipate a strong showing of orange and black during the bowl week festivities and at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, where Coach (Craig) Robinson’s team will be playing during the same timeframe."
This is the second consecutive and eighth overall bowl appearance for OSU coach Mike Riley. The Beavers will try to right the ship after losing their last five games of the season. They beat Hawaii the second week of the regular season.
"I am thrilled that our football team has an opportunity to play another game at an exciting destination against an outstanding Boise State team," Riley said.
Boise State lost to Chris Johnson-led Eastern Carolina the first time the Broncos played in the Hawaii Bowl, in 2007. The Broncos are the nation’s winningest program since 2000 with 154 victories, and is the nation’s highest-scoring team during that span, averaging 40.3 points per game. The Broncos will make their 12th consecutive bowl appearance and 14th overall bowl game since 1999.
"I would like to thank the officials at the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, ESPN and the Mountain West Conference for this opportunity to play in one of the top postseason settings in college football," said Boise State athletic director Mark Coyle. "We are excited for this year’s Bronco team and especially for our senior class."
