First Responder Bowl participants met with the media on Christmas Eve to preview Wednesday's matchup. At stake for Boston College (7-5) and Boise State (9-3) is not only offseason momentum, but also the most on-brand trophy in college football.

"You feel differently," Broncos head coach Bryan Harsin said about finishing the season on a victory. "One of the keys, and you look at what Mack Brown said, he said it's always better to end the year with a win and that isn't a secret. It comes down to your preparation and how you focus on the things leading up to the game."

The Eagles spent the afternoon wrapping up their second practice without pads at SMU. On Sunday evening, they hit the arcade and bowling alley for some friendly competition.

"I've never been to Dallas," graduate center Jon Baker said. "It's warmer than what I'm used to, but I'm excited to be here and play a good football team."

"You want your players to enjoy and get a taste of the city they are in and appreciate the part of the country you are in," head coach Steve Addazio said. "You realize it is a business trip and you have to manage a combination of the two. At the end of the day, it is really tough to get a win."

There's a lot on the line for the recently-extended Addazio, who's seeking to shake his seven-win ceiling at BC. Fortunately, he'll have Scot Loeffler back in Dallas calling plays one last time before he officially takes over Bowling Green's program.

"He has been gone, but was able to get back for the prep week and we were moving right ahead to install the game plan, which isn't anything abnormal," Addazio said. "We gave each other a big hug and said, 'Let's go finish this thing.' To have a chance as a staff to do this together, we are really relishing that."

The Eagles will need Loeffler's offensive mind if Brett Rypien and Alexander Mattison turn the Cotton Bowl Stadium showdown into a shootout. Playing in his final collegiate game, Rypien will want to end his career on a win and impress NFL scouts in attendance. Mattison, meanwhile, has totaled 689 yards and seven touchdowns on 127 carries in his last four games.

"The quarterback has so much to do with the outcome of the game, and when you are playing against an elite quarterback and running back, that is a really good combination," Addazio said. "Hopefully it'll be a showcase for talented guys on both sides of the ball."

Harsin remembers an elite quarterback being the difference in the game the last (and only) time BC and BSU squared off in the 2005 MPC Computers Bowl.

"The last time we played Boston College, I was an assistant and they had a great player named Matt Ryan that we faced on the Blue Turf," Harsin said. "Their style, which is tough in all three phases, that shows up from studying their film this entire time.

But the Broncos know Anthony Brown is not Matt Ryan, and they seemed prepared to stack the box to limit A.J. Dillon & Co. like so many opponents before them.

"Our plan coming into the game is to stop the run," senior STUD Jabril Frazier said. "We knew as soon as we got Boston College we were going to face a very good run offense, so we know it's very important to get a good push with our front seven."

With less than 48 hours until kickoff, Addazio did not shy away from hyping up a game featuring several NFL prospects in a historic venue.

"This may be one of the best bowl matchups that is going to be on TV," he said.