Fansided

Washington and Boise State moved to Friday night

By Will Osgood

Sep 20, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Chris Petersen reacts to a play against the Georgia State Panthers during the first quarter at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 20, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Chris Petersen reacts to a play against the Georgia State Panthers during the first quarter at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former Boise State coach, Chris Petersen, returns to Boise State on Friday September 4. 

Chris Peterson’s return to the familiar and famous blue turf at Boise State will take place an evening earlier than initially expected. Petersen’s Washington team will play at Boise State on Friday, September 4 on ESPN, as reported by Bryan Fisher.

The season-opening game was originally scheduled to be played on Saturday, September 5. ESPN is currently working on their national schedule and likely felt that the best time for the game was Friday, as it looks to expand its opening weekend package (which as always will start Thursday and run through Monday).

Petersen’s Washington Huskies squad taking on his old squad Boise State is definitely one of the marquee matchups of the opening weekend of the 2015 season.

Currently, South Carolina is slated to face North Carolina on Thursday—which if last season is any indication will open the season ESPN’s baby network, SEC Network. The Gamecocks have played the season’s opening game on Thursday historically, dating back to at least Steve Spurrier’s first season in Columbia.

Michigan, under first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh is slated to open their season and new era later that evening at Utah, a team which it lost at home to in Brady Hoke’s dismal final campaign in 2014.

The current Saturday slate includes matchups between Alabama and Wisconsin in Jerry’s World down in Dallas, Louisville versus Auburn in the Chick-Fil-a Classic in Atlanta and Texas at Notre Dame, which will be broadcast by NBC Sports, as are all Notre Dame home games.

Purdue plays at Marshall on Sunday afternoon, while defending champion Ohio State travels to Blacksburg to avenge their only loss in 2014 against Virginia Tech on Labor Day Monday night, September 7.

That schedule makes the move to Friday night a wise one for ESPN, figuring to pit two solid teams and one fine storyline. Petersen was 92-12 in eight seasons in Boise, including an incredible 57-6 record against conference opponents.

He was the head coach of the Broncos in their most memorable game in school history—an epic up-big, then comeback upset victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl. The team Petersen left behind also made it to Glendale last season, defeating the Arizona Wildcats in the Fiesta Bowl on December 31, 2014.

Meanwhile, his Washington Huskies went 8-6 and lost in Phoenix to Oklahoma State in the Cactus Bowl in a rather uninspiring effort. Washington loses three potential No. 1 draft picks at their positions on defense in defensive tackle Danny Shelton, linebacker Shaq Thompson and cornerback Marcus Peters.

Boise State, meanwhile, loses only one player of significance, running back Jay Ajayi.

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