BOISE STATE (10-2) vs. EAST CAROLINA (7-5)
Time: 6 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Line: Boise State by 10 1/2
The buzz: One year after becoming the nation’s darlings with its high-risk, high-reward, 43-42 overtime upset of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, Boise State is not disappointed one bit about a BCS bowl snub. “I tell you what, if you’re not going to be in a BCS game, I don’t know if there’s a better place in the country to be,” Broncos coach Chris Petersen said. Boise State is making its sixth straight postseason appearance, and its eighth in the past nine years. The Pirates, making their 13th postseason appearance, will use the Hawaii Bowl as a gauge on how far they have come. They have reached the postseason for the second straight year after a four-year absence. The Pirates are led by Chris Johnson, who leads the nation’s runners in all-purpose yards (212.7) and is third in scoring (11 points per game). He has 1,200 rushing yards, 496 receiving yards and returned 30 kickoffs for 856 yards.
Denver Post staff and wire services
