BOISE — Boise State and the Fiesta Bowl. Name a more iconic duo.

The Broncos are heading back to the place where some of the biggest moments in program history have occurred. Now, this group of Boise State players will look to add to the lore.

Boise State was selected to play in the Dec. 31 game in Glendale, Arizona, as the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff, the team’s first ever inclusion into the tournament.

“It’s a props to our guys and the way we go to work continuously each day,” Bronco quarterback Maddux Madsen said Sunday after the tournament bracket was revealed. “There’s a rich tradition of football here and success. So, carrying that tradition day by day is something everybody strives for.”

Boise State (12-1), the Mountain West champion, earned an automatic bid and first-round bye into the CFP quarterfinals, thanks to being one of the four highest-ranked conference champions. The Broncos were ranked No. 9 in the final CFP rankings, released Sunday, three spots ahead of No. 12 Arizona State, the Big 12 champion and No. 4 seed in the playoff.

The Broncos will play the winner of a first-round game between No. 6 Penn State and No. 11 SMU, which will be played on Dec. 21 in State College, Pennsylvania.

“It was a moment I’ll never forget,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said about seeing his team’s name on the ESPN selection show. “Watching ESPN and seeing our team room come up and seeing our players on live television on ESPN, those are just surreal moments. All the work you put in in the dark, all of a sudden has come to the light and all of a sudden seeing us pop up as a 3 seed, it was a surreal moment, a moment I’ll never forget. I was so happy for our players to be in this situation.”

A rich history already exists between Boise State and the Fiesta Bowl, with the Broncos making three prior trips to the game following the 2006, ‘09 and ‘13 seasons. Boise State won all three of those games.

The first Fiesta Bowl trip, a 43-42 win against Oklahoma, is widely regarded as the most iconic moment in Boise State history. It was a game that put Boise State on the conscious of much of the nation, thanks to three trick plays, including the game-winning Ian Johnson Statue of Liberty 2-point conversion in overtime.

Recruits looking at Boise State are hit with the Fiesta Bowl history angle early on in their recruitment and players walk by the three trophies every day in the Bleymaier Football Complex.

“I’m sure we’ll see all over the media and promotions and social media talking about our history in the Fiesta Bowl,” said linebacker Marco Notarainni. “But there’s a lot of work that we need to put in place to be able to bring that to fruition and carry on that little bit of tradition of the Fiesta Bowl and history that we have in the Fiesta Bowl.”

Of course, this year’s team has a chance to do something that none of the past three Fiesta Bowl teams had the opportunity to: Keep their season alive with a win.

The Broncos have long clamored for a seat at the table in the national championship picture and with the expanded 12-team playoff, the winner of the Fiesta Bowl will continue to chase their championship dreams the following week in either the Cotton or Orange Bowl.

Simply put, the Broncos have a chance to reach heights they’ve never been to before.

“Boise State’s been doing that, not quite to this scale, but doing that their whole (history),” said offensive guard Ben Dooley. “That’s kind of what this place is built on and we stand on the shoulder of giants with Fiesta Bowl championships and working our way through conferences. Now we’re going to the Pac-12. This is just Boise’s natural progression, I think, and I’m glad that we’re the ones to be able set out on this new legacy here.”