"I tell you what, if you're not going to be in a BCS game, I don't know if there's a better place in the country to be," second-year Broncos coach Chris Petersen said. "I think half our team is on surfboards right now and hopefully staying safe."

A year after their spectacular 43-42 overtime victory against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, the 24th-ranked Broncos (10-2) face East Carolina (7-5) in the Hawai'i Bowl tomorrow. While Boise State captivated the nation with its win last Jan. 1, this time it will play in Aloha Stadium and there could be more empty seats than fans.

"It's really a privilege and an honor to be able to go to a BCS game. No matter who you are, it takes a lot of things to line up the right way and that doesn't happen every year," Petersen said. "We're honored to be here, in this game and play East Carolina. We'll be excited to play without question."

Broncos quarterback Taylor Tharp said the two seasons shouldn't be compared.

"We've put together 10 wins this year and a lot of hard work went toward this moment," he said. "At the top of our pyramid of goals is to win a bowl game. It doesn't say 'BCS game,' it says 'bowl game.' So we're very happy to be here and very happy to play East Carolina."

The Broncos chose the Hawai'i Bowl despite visiting here just a month ago in their regular-season finale against Hawai'i. With the loss to the Sugar Bowl-bound Warriors, Boise State saw its streak of nine straight wins and five consecutive Western Athletic Conference titles come to an end.

Boise State picked the islands over its hometown Humanitarian Bowl, disappointing many Broncos' fans.

"If you think about it, it's either stay in Boise in the freezing cold or come out here and actually have more of a bowl experience," said running back Ian Johnson, who will be looking to repeat some his Fiesta Bowl heroics.

Despite being a heavy favorite this time around, the Broncos aren't taking the Pirates for granted.

"We give every opponent we face that respect that we're going to do everything we can to be ready for them and we're not going to take them lightly because that's how you end up losing," Johnson said.

Boise State is making its sixth straight postseason appearance, and its eighth in the past nine years. They have appeared in five different bowls since 1999.

Third-year East Carolina coach Skip Holtz said he wants to build a program like Boise State.

"We're not there yet, but that's where we aspire to be," he said.

The Pirates, making their 14th postseason appearance, will use the Hawai'i Bowl as a gauge on how far they have come. They have reached the postseason for the second straight year after a four-year absence. They lost to South Florida 24-7 last season in the Papajohns.com Bowl.

Holtz has restored confidence and resuscitated a program that was on life-support and lost 22 of 25 games before his arrival. This year, East Carolina finished tied for second in the East Division of Conference USA with a 6-2 league record.

Holtz was full of compliments for the Broncos, perhaps taking a page from the coaching play book of his father and legendary coach Lou Holtz.

"I think our offense is going to have to play darn near-perfect to compete," he said. "I think our defense is going to have to play way over their head against a very talented football team."

Petersen expects a tough game and was surprised by all the praise.

"They've got as much talent as anyone we played this year. They really do," Petersen said. "I think people are underestimating these guys. We're not. The good thing is, our players know what type of team this is."

The Pirates are led by Chris Johnson, who leads the nation in all-purpose yards (212.7) and is third in scoring (11 points). He has 1,200 rushing yards, 496 receiving yards and returned 30 kickoffs for 856 yards.

The Broncos are the WAC's top defensive team and explosive on offense, averaging 42.8 points. They have a balanced attack led by Johnson and Tharp, who has thrown for 3,070 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Johnson has rushed for 1,030 yards and 16 touchdowns despite missing a couple games with an injury. The numbers are down from his breakout sophomore season, in which he ran for 1,713 yards and 25 TDs.

"I think I'm truly a better player this year," said Johnson, noting improvements in blocking and receiving. "There's nothing I'm really trying to prove because I've shown that I'm capable of doing it."

Boise State will be without its top receiver, Jeremy Childs, who didn't make the trip for violating team rules. He finished the season with a school-record 82 catches for 1,045 yards and nine touchdowns.

Without Childs, the Broncos will rely on freshmen Titus Young and Austin Pettis, who combined for 74 catches and 11 TDs this year.

"I just told them that I'm going to be leaning on them and putting my confidence in them to make plays and get open," Tharp said.

East Carolina, meanwhile, has also prepared for Boise's bag of tricks.