By JOHN MARSHALL AP Sports Writer
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Boise State has taken that long-awaited next step, earning a spot in the College Football Playoff for the first time, 17 years after a program-shifting win.
Awaiting the third-seeded Broncos in the desert is another team that made a breakthrough.
Sixth-seeded Penn State also is in its first CFP playoff, shaking its can’t-win-the-big-game reputation with a victory over SMU while climbing from the shadows of a scandal that rocked one of college football’s bluebloods.