A few things ...
-- Portland State was the toast of the FCS level two years ago when the Vikings went 2-0 against FBS competition, beat Big Sky power Eastern Washington on its own bright, red field, and made the national playoffs.
PSU coach Bruce Barnum's shoot-from-the-lip, outside-the-box style made for a compelling story line.
But there isn't much margin for error on the Park Blocks, where the football team lives on a shoestring. The 9-3 season in 2015 turned into 3-8 in 2016.
The Vikings showed signs of life last week in a 20-6 loss at Brigham Young, where the PSU defense confounded the Cougars.