Faced with a truly no-win situation that seems both unique yet will also come up again in the expanded College Football Playoff, Penn State coach James Franklin rolled into the Fiesta Bowl and chose the only possible solution.

Victory.

Franklin’s circumstance – which will be mirrored Wednesday afternoon when No. 5 seed Texas takes on No. 4 seed Arizona State in the Peach Bowl – was this: Prevail as a prohibitive favorite in the quarterfinals, and you were supposed to; but lose to an undisputed underdog, and you’re checking your front lawn for “For Sale” signs deposited by your fan base.

The result for the Nittany Lions was plain. No. 6 seed Penn State earned its second College Football Playoff win to close out the calendar year in convincing fashion, powering past No. 3 seed Boise State 31-14 to earn a spot in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9, 2025. That Playoff semifinal test will come against the winner of Wednesday’s Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Georgia or No. 7 Notre Dame.

Tuesday night in the desert wasn’t just about the Fiesta Bowl or being the first to advance to the semis. What Penn State vs. Boise State represented was this: The hoi polloi vs. the wild west, blue bloods vs. blue turf, establishment vs. excitement.

Not that Boise State exactly entered as an unknown factor. The Broncos sported Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty, who absolutely dominated Mountain West competition (and Oregon) in 2024 to lead his team to 12 victories, the Mountain West crown and a 1st-round Playoff bye. This was also far from Boise State’s first appearance on the national stage, as the Broncos famously knocked off Oklahoma in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl – the first of 3 straight Fiesta Bowl wins entering Tuesday night.

But Penn State is, and always has been, Penn State. The Nittany Lions kicked off as an 11.5-point favorite behind an efficient passing attack and a ferocious defense that ranked in the top 10 nationally in points scored even after giving up 45 points to Oregon in the Big Ten title game.

Penn State leapt to an early 14-0 lead on 2 Drew Allar touchdown passes and looked poised to pile on even more. But Boise State began to gash the Nittany Lions’ offensive line more and more – eventually sacking Allar 4 times and hurrying him 2 more with a variety of zone blitzes that made it appear at times like there were 13 Broncos on the field playing defense.

We told you earlier this week about the singular excellence of Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren, and he proved his bona fides on a critical 3rd-quarter drive. Boise State had just gashed Penn State for a half-opening touchdown to pull within 3, but Warren – Penn State’s first Mackey Award winner as the nation’s best tight end – climbed the ladder to snare a second touchdown toss as part of a 6-catch, 63-yard night to make it 24-14.

But Penn State also showed up to play defense, doing so by so completely blanketing Jeanty to the point that the running back probably had a couple Nittany Lions escort him to the locker room at halftime. Jeanty fumbled twice and finished with 104 yards on 30 bruising carries but looked fresher and fresher as the game wore on – breaking off a clutch 26-yarder during an early fourth-quarter drive. Alas, that march ended not in a score but instead a second missed field goal off the right foot of kicker Jonah Dalmas.

Coming up with air on said drive ended up representing Boise State’s last gasp, as Penn State turned to their 2-headed answer for Jeanty – running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. Allen rumbled for 19 of his 134 yards on the ensuing possession, and Singleton snapped off the longest run of his season, a 58-yard touchdown sprint, to shut the door on Boise State and shut up the boisterous Broncos faithful in Glendale.

While Boise State outgained Penn State 412-387 and Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen passed for a flashy 304 yards against Aller’s more pedestrian 171, Tuesday night’s key moments, key turnovers (4 to 1 in favor of PSU) and key plays all belonged to the Nittany Lions en route to bottomless chips and salsa in the desert.

The stakes only get higher from here, of course, starting with either the Bulldogs or Fighting Irish in Miami. But for now, at least, Franklin can happily shrug off the “Little Game James” moniker that has shadowed him for years in Happy Valley.

Two wins in hand, Penn State is going deep in the College Football Playoff – reaching the Final Four for the first time — solving a seemingly no-win problem with the style of B1G bullying necessary to shake off a game Boise State unit.