Info please

[CKS007]

Ok so I'm trying to track down some information I've been reading elsewhere. Any insight would be appreciated.

1- Are things ok with PSU football? What has the attendance been?
2- I was under the impression that PSU football was playing in the same stadium as the Portland Timbers? Is this correct? Is there a place for the team to play and call home?
3- If a bunch of Big Sky schools go FBS (EWU, the Montanas, the Cali schools) would PSU be able to join them with Idaho and NMSU (if they come along) in a new FBS league?
4- Would the city of Portland support FBS football locally?

Thanks in advance.

 

[goviks2]

Answers require some conjecture:

PSU was playing in our 23,000 seat (?) downtown stadium a few blocks from the campus long before the timbers. There is some thinking of moving elsewhere. Maybe, maybe not.

PSU football seems to be pretty solid as a program at the university. As always financing is difficult, as it is in many programs through the nation.

Many people here would love to see the Vikings be a bowl division team. Whether it's financially feasible at this time is a question. BSC membership could increase interest and funding. In the initial stage, whether enough interest and funding would be the question. The program is not in a position to run huge deficits for five or 10 years which, I suspect, is the case with most schools outside of Montana and Montana State. They used to have substantial state funding help. Don't know if they still do. PSU does not.

 

[martymoose]

There would have to be some fairly significant minimum requirement changes made by the NCAA to enable the schools you listed to make the jump. EWU, UCD, and Cal Poly don't even have enough seats in their stadiums to meet the average attendance requirements, let alone the average attendance figures.

 

[bigskyconf]

Ok so I'm trying to track down some information I've been reading elsewhere. Any insight would be appreciated.

1- Are things ok with PSU football? What has the attendance been?
2- I was under the impression that PSU football was playing in the same stadium as the Portland Timbers? Is this correct? Is there a place for the team to play and call home?
3- If a bunch of Big Sky schools go FBS (EWU, the Montanas, the Cali schools) would PSU be able to join them with Idaho and NMSU (if they come along) in a new FBS league?
4- Would the city of Portland support FBS football locally?

Thanks in advance.

Don't know exactly where you get your information. Sounds like a fishing expedition, but I'll bite.

1. Things seem fine with football. Most of the negativity seemed to come from fans and supporters of UO and OSU, then the Portland media picked up on it and fanned the flames. One would be hard pressed to find anyone in the administration that actually came out on record that PSU should drop football. A lot of rumors, but nothing actually came out.
2. PSU football does play in the same stadium as the Timbers, although PSU football has been playing there far longer than the Timbers. I would say that should be enough for us to call the place our "home" but the Timbers don't see it that way.
3. PSU had been approached about moving up, but if we cannot be competitive in the FCS, I don't see how we could make it work in FBS. Currently no other Big Sky school, not even Montana and Montana State, could make the move without expensive improvements made to their facilities. The Montana board of regents also have made it clear that both Montana schools would have to move to the same conference at the same time.
4. Duck and Beaver fans have made it clear that there are only two Oregon teams that play DI football. Even if PSU was able to move up, Portland still would not support it, unless they move to the Pac-12 (not going to happen).

 

[CKS007]

Don't know exactly where you get your information. Sounds like a fishing expedition, but I'll bite.

Thank you everyone for the responses (keep them coming if you feel there is anything more to add.

I'm actually a sports fan living in Utah (and I'm not following any Oregon schools) who has been reading the WAC message board. There was a Big West supporter who seems to be convinced that PSU and Seattle U would be heading to the Big West if PSU dropped football. I had also heard rumors that the Big Sky commissioner wanted to split the Big Sky into FCS and FBS and that PSU was in the heading to FBS category. Since the two rumors didn't jive (and yea I shouldn't be taking message board rumors with more than a grain of salt) I figured I'd ask some of the fans for any insight.

Good luck to the Vikings in your upcoming season.

 

[Pounder]

The Big Sky FBS rumor was several years ago. Doug Fullerton was in the midst of trying to kill the WAC and preserve "the integrity of the conference." He can't even get Idaho to drop down to FCS, even though Idaho really very well should. Fullerton had a vision of bringing Utah State and San Jose State and Idaho into the conference... and he even gave lip service to bringing back Boise State right up until the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

Portland State FB has been in the stadium quite a long time. How much did the program contribute to the renovation? A couple letters of support. The program certainly hasn't been in a cash-rich position for a long time. Meanwhile, there's a lot of soccer fans who want to know why the team hasn't installed a grass surface yet. Basically, Merritt Paulson told the supporters group that PSU football would be out by now, and I believe we know that hasn't happened... read what you want into that.

Having said that, the last contract ended at the end of last year. I'm still wondering if there's a contract in place, how long it runs, what are the provisions?