No. 3 Boise State Broncos12-1 (7-0 Mountain West regular season)What’s next: First-round bye; vs. winner of No. 6 Penn State, No. 11 SMU, Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, Ariz., Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ETHead coach: Spencer Danielson (one-plus seasons, 15-2 overall)About Danielson: The 36-year-old was an assistant coach for the Broncos and became interim coach last season when Andy Avalos was fired after a 5-5 start. Danielson impressed everybody while winning two regular-season games and the Mountain West championship game. He was named the new head coach in early December, and the team went to the LA Bowl, losing to UCLA. He was Mountain West Coach of the Year this season.ResumeBoise State defeated a good Washington State squad 45-24 on a night in which Ashton Jeanty rushed for 259 yards and four touchdowns. The lone loss rates as a great one as the Broncos took now-No. 1 Oregon to the end of the contest before the Ducks kicked a winning field goal on the final play for a 37-34 win.Postseason historyThe Broncos will be making their first appearance in the College Football Playoff era. But they also own one of the most impressive upsets in major bowl history — that 43-42 overtime win over Oklahoma in the 2006 season Fiesta Bowl that ended with the Statue of Liberty play and star running back Ian Johnson proposing to his cheerleader girlfriend after scoring the winning points.The road to AtlantaYes, Boise State has some history at the Fiesta Bowl and won’t mind heading to Phoenix for the quarterfinals. Either Penn State or SMU will advance from a first-round matchup Dec. 21 to play the Broncos.Names to knowRB Ashton JeantyHas put together one of the top running backs in season history with 2,497 yards — fourth-most in FBS history — to stand just 131 behind all-time leader Barry Sanders of Oklahoma State. The Heisman Trophy candidate has 29 rushing touchdowns, including 10 of 50 or more yards, making him a home-run hitter in the mold of college legends such as Marshall Faulk (San Diego State) and LaDainian Tomlinson (TCU).