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]
Season
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]
Playoffs
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.
Knap departs
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.