Game Day Guide: No. 25 Boise State opens season on the road against South Florida

No. 25 Boise State is kicking off the 2025 season in Tampa against an elite quarterback.

Carsen Cloud

AP Photo

Published: 6:40 PM MDT August 25, 2025

Updated: 3:01 PM MDT August 28, 2025

TAMPA, Florida

No. 25 Boise State heads down to Tampa, Florida to kick off the 2025 season against the University of South Florida (USF) Bulls. This will be the first meeting between the two teams in school history. Boise State is coming off of a 12-2 season where they earned a berth in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, and the Broncos are planning on heading back.

Boise State enters the 2025 season ranked after being voted 25th in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll. This season marks the first AP preseason ranking since 2018, likely due to the team's impressive returning production and finishing at No. 8 in the final AP Poll of the 2024 season. The Broncos were also placed at No. 25 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. The Broncos were also voted as the team favorited to win the Mountain West conference for the 18th consecutive season. In the past two seasons, the Broncos won the Mountain West Conference Championship against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), meaning if the Broncos make it back, they will win 3 consecutive championships.

Credit: AP

Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson celebrates with the Championship Trophy after their matchup against UNLV. (AP Photo/Steve Conner)

Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson is entering his second full season as Boise State's head coach. Danielson is boasting an impressive 15-3 record so far at the helm of the Broncos. Danielson led the Broncos to their fourth Fiesta Bowl appearance last season in the College Football playoff. 

Boise State is also proud of being one of 11 FBS teams to retain their entire full-time coaching staff. Dirk Koetter, last year's offensive coordinator has shifted to a senior analyst role and Nate Potter was promoted to be the team's new offensive coordinator. 

Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen has been raking in the preseason honors appearing on 5 preseason watchlists (Davey O'Brien Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Manning Award, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award). Maddux "Mad Dog" Madsen was also named the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year for the Mountain West. 

Last season, Madsen threw a conference-high 3,018 yards as well as 23 touchdowns. He also added 5 rushing touchdowns and 221 rushing yards in 2024. Madsen boasts a 13-2 career record as the Broncos' starting quarterback.

The South Florida Bulls likely will not be a pushover team for the Broncos. Their quarterback, Byrum Brown is expected to have a breakout season. Brown has been added to both the Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List and the Comeback Player of the Year Watchlist. Brown faced a leg injury forcing him to miss 8 games last season. During the 2023, Jayden Daniels and Brown were the only quarterbacks in the nation to throw for more than 3,000 yards and rush for more than 800 yards as well. Bruce Feldman, added Brown to his College Football freaks list saying the 6-foot-3, 232-pound senior ran almost 23 miles per hour, squatted 600 pounds and benched 300. 

"This is going to be a really, really cool ... really, really exciting challenge. It's an awesome way to start the season off against a really, really good football team and a really good program," said South Florida head coach Alex Golesh during a press conference. "I've got so much respect for that Boise State program. Got so much respect for Coach Danielson and what he has been able to do in a season and half in terms of a team that ... you watch the culture on film ... guys that play extremely hard ... guys that play extremely tough. I think the most telling thing ... and we have talked about it as a team ... is how they are able to go finish football games."

Our guys 🤝 awards #ComeToTheBay | #StayInTheBay

The Broncos have a 9-6 record while playing in NFL stadiums. The matchup with the Bulls will be the Broncos' fifth regular season road game in an NFL venue (Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) with a current record of 3-1 (Virginia Tech - 2010, San Diego State - 2011 & 2013, UNLV - 2024). Boise State has a 1-1 record in Florida with a loss to UCF and a win against Florida State. This game is tied for the earliest game since the Broncos opened their season against Ole Miss in 2014. The Broncos do well in their season openers averaging an all-time record of 39-18.

Boise State and South Florida have never played against one another. The game will mark the 5th American Conference team the Broncos have played against (current 2-2 record). Team captain and redshirt senior linebacker Marco Notarainni will lead the Broncos on to the field with Dan Paul Hammer ahead of kickoff.

Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. (MT) on Thursday, Aug. 28 in Tampa. You can watch the game on ESPN.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁. #BleedBlue | #BuiltDifferent

Scroll down or use the tabs at the top of this article to find pre-game events, game predictions, stat comparisons, players to watch, streaming and radio information, details on KTVB's pre-game shows and post-game coverage and more.

No. 25 Boise State (0-0) vs. South Florida (0-0) 

Thursday, Aug. 28

Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. MT 

Channel: ESPN

Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, Florida 

Capacity: 69,218

Weather: High of 90 | Low of 75 | 55% humidity | Chance of thunderstorms 

Credit: (AP Photo/Doug Murray)

General view of Raymond James Stadium during an NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

ON TV

Boise State's showdown with South Florida will be televised on ESPN, which will be hosted by Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Tom Luginbill (analyst) and Harry Lyles Jr. (sideline). ESPN is available on the following channels:

Broadcast: ESPN

Cox: Channel 32

DirecTV: Channel 206

Dish Network: Channel 140

Sparklight: Channel 132

ON THE RADIO 

Fans can listen to the game on the Bronco Radio Network, which is hosted by Bob Behler (play-by-play) and Pete Cavender (analyst). The Network is available online and through the 2025 affiliates listed below. The call can also be heard on SiriusXM Channel 84.

Boise: KBOI 670 AM

Boise: KBOI 93.1 FM

Idaho Falls: KSPZ 980 AM 

Idaho Falls: KSPZ 98.7 FM 

McCall: KDZY 98.3 FM 

Pocatello: KSPZ 94.5 FM 

Salmon: KSRA 960 AM

St. Maries: KOFE 1240 AM 

Twin Falls: KSNQ 98.3 FM  

STREAMING 

Streaming for Thursday's game is available through most popular platforms, including Paramount+, FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV and more. 

The game will also be available through ESPN+ and the ESPN app, available in Apple, Android and Amazon app stores. The service is only available to subscribers of participating cable and satellite television providers, such as Sparklight, DirecTV and Dish Network.

BRONCO ROUNDUP GAME DAY SHOW 

Gear up for kickoff with KTVB's Jordan Smith and Brian Holmes on the official TV station for Bronco Nation! An exclusive pre-game show from Tampa, FL will provide an in-depth breakdown ahead of the season opener with USF. 

The Bronco Roundup Game Day Show airs live at 2 p.m. Thursday on KTVB Channel 7, KTVB.COM, KTVB+ on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV, and the KTVB mobile app. 

Tune in for a preview with an up-close look at players taking the field, Boise State warmups, last-minute injury updates, sideline interviews, matchup storylines, comments from coaches and captains, and more.

Credit: KTVB

POST-GAME COVERAGE 

KTVB will livestream Boise State's press conference Thursday immediately after the game on KTVB.COM, KTVB's YouTube channel, KTVB+ and the KTVB mobile app. 

ESPN's Matchup Predictor, generated using ESPN Analytics, gives Boise State a 64.5% chance of beating South Florida and kicking their season off with a win. 

The Broncos are 6.5-point favorites on ESPN Bet as of Monday afternoon, with an over/under of 63.5 on the platform. The spread opened at 8.5 on ESPN Bet, while the point total opened at 63.5. 

Bally Sports, Bet365, BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars, DraftKings and FanDuel have Boise State as a 6.0-point favorite with three days until kickoff, according to VegasInsider. 

Credit: AP Photo/Steve Conner

Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen throws to tight end Matt Lauter for a 34-yard touchdown against Washington State on Sept. 28, 2024.

TOTAL OFFENSE

Boise State: 466.0 YPG | No. 8

South Florida: 407.7 YPG | No. 46

SCORING OFFENSE

Boise State: 37.3 PPG | No. 5

South Florida: 32.2 PPG | No. 33

RUSHING OFFENSE

Boise State: 240.4 YPG | No. 8

South Florida: 180.2 YPG | No. 19

PASSING OFFENSE

Boise State: 225.6 YPG | No. 70

South Florida: 227.5 YPG | No. 67

Credit: AP Photo/Steve Conner

Boise State tight end Matt Lauter turn up field on a 34-yard touchdown reception against Washington State, Sept. 28, 2024.

TOTAL DEFENSE

Boise State: 363.7 YPG | No. 60

South Florida: 436.9 YPG | No. 119

SCORING DEFENSE

Boise State: 22.6 PPG | No. 37

South Florida: 29.8 PPG | No. 99

RUSHING DEFENSE

Boise State: 122.3 YPG | No. 31

South Florida: 158.2 YPG | No. 81

PASSING DEFENSE

Boise State: 241.4 YPG | No. 107

South Florida: 278.8 YPG | No. 128

PASSING

Maddux Madsen: 247-of-396 (62.4%), 3,018 yards, 23 TDs, 6 INTs

Byrum Brown: 78-of-132 (59.1%), 836 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs

RUSHING

Maddux Madsen: 57 carries, 221 yards (3.9 avg.), 5 TDs

Byrum Brown: 68 carries, 269 yards (3.9 avg.), 3 TDs

RECEIVING

Matt Lauter: 27 receptions, 619 yards, 7 TDs

Keshaun Singleton: 27 receptions, 428 yards, 3 TDs

Credit: (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown runs for a first down against Syracuse, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023.

TACKLES

Ty Benefield: 82.0 total tackles (59 solo, 23 assisted)

Mac Harris: 82.0 total tackles (54 solo, 28 assisted)

TACKLES FOR LOSS

Jayden Virgin-Morgan: 16.0 TFLs

Mac Harris: 12.0 TFLs

SACKS

Jayden Virgin-Morgan: 10.0 sacks

Mac Harris: 4.0 sacks

INTERCEPTIONS

Ty Benefield: 2 INTs