Prior to the season, the stadium was expanded with an upper deck added to the east grandstand, which increased the permanent seating capacity to 20,000. Part of the original design, it had been delayed for five years due to high costs.[1] Attendance records for the venue were set in each of the first four home games.
Led by eighth-year head coach Tony Knap, the Broncos were 9–1–1 in the regular season and undefeated in conference (5–0–1), gaining their third straight Big Sky title.[2] For those three seasons, the Broncos were 17–0–1 (.972) in conference play; the only non-victory was a tie at rivalIdaho during the Kibbie Dome dedication game in October.[3][4][5][6] Prior to the regular season finale at Idaho State, it was announced that the winner would gain one of the eight playoff berths;[7] BSU won by three to advance to the postseason.[8]
Invited again to the eight-team Division II playoffs, sixth ranked BSU hosted #5 Northern Michigan at Bronco Stadium in the quarterfinals on November 29.[9][10]Cold and windy conditions caused fourteen fumbles, nine by BSU, and the visitors won 24–21.[11] Winless the previous season, the Wildcats went on to win the national title;[12] they were led by sophomore quarterback Steve Mariucci,[11] later a head coach in the NFL for nine seasons.
1
2
3
4
Total
N. Michigan
3
0
14
7
24
Broncos
7
0
7
7
21
It was the third consecutive year that the Broncos fell in the playoffs to the eventual national champion, and it was their last appearance in the D-II playoffs. Boise State won the Big Sky title in 1977 but could not participate in the playoffs because of a late regular season game, and they moved up to the new Division I-AA in 1978. BSU returned to the postseason in 1980 and won its only national title.
Two months later in January 1976, 61-year-old Knap moved south to Nevada-Las Vegas to replace Ron Meyer, who had left for SMU in Dallas.[13][14] At the time, UNLV was also in Division II, but moved up to I-A in 1978; Knap led the Rebels for six seasons, through 1981. Jim Criner, the linebackers coach at Rose Bowl champion UCLA, was hired as BSU's next head coach in February 1976,[15][16] and stayed through 1982.
^Ferguson, George (November 17, 1975). "Easy time for Aggies". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. 2C.
^"Record book (football)"(PDF). Boise State University Athletics. 2016. p. 70. Archived from the original(PDF) on February 15, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
^"Probable starters". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). October 11, 1975. p. 2B.
