SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Boise State coach Spencer Danielson insists he wasn't trying to create a new motto when he leaned into the program's underdog reputation during a recent news conference, asking people to "please count us out."
"I definitely didn't plan on it becoming a shirt," Danielson said. "I could promise you that."
But when Boise State arrived in Phoenix on Saturday ahead of Tuesday's College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Penn State, the team exited the plane wearing black shirts with the phrase in bold blue lettering.
For Danielson, it's that type of mentality that has always served Boise State well.
Please count us out. #BleedBlue | #BuiltDifferent pic.twitter.com/SosBIC2LsW
— Boise State Football (@BroncoSportsFB) December 29, 2024
"That's what I believe in, and that's what Boise State has been built on," he said. "The first Fiesta Bowl in 2007, where the country -- me included as a high school senior -- watched the Broncos beat Oklahoma [after being counted out]. That's what draws people to Boise State."
With the Fiesta Bowl hosting a quarterfinal this year as part of the expanded 12-team playoff, Boise State returns to the site of some of the best moments in program history. The Broncos are 3-0 in the bowl game with wins against No. 7 Oklahoma (2007), No. 3 TCU (2010) and No. 12 Arizona (2014). They were the lower-ranked team in each game.
This year's game presents a new dynamic with Boise State assigned the No. 3 seed for the playoff, as the third-highest-ranked conference champion, but was the selection committee's No. 9-ranked team, behind No. 4 Penn State. The Nittany Lions are 11.5-point favorites, according to ESPN BET.
"I think Boise State as a program is just counted out," said running back Ashton Jeanty, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting. "Group of 5 is counted out, so that's why different guys were wearing the shirt. I would say we embraced it, but that's been the story for us. We've been the underdogs for a long, long time. We're just here to prove that we can compete with the best of the best."
Jeanty enters the game needing 131 yards to break the single-season FBS rushing record of 2,628 yards set by former Oklahoma State running back Barry Sanders in 1988.