SEE THE VIDEO: BARNUM TALKS 2015 SCHEDULE, SPRING FOOTBALL

The 2015 Portland State Football schedule has been released and will include 11 games; five at home, six on the road and two against FBS programs.

Portland State will have an attractive home schedule that includes dates with powerhouses Montana and Montana State. The Vikings will play four home games at Providence Park and one at Hillsboro Stadium, due to a scheduling conflict with the Portland Timbers.

The Vikings come off a 3-9 season in 2014, 2-6 in the Big Sky Conference. Bruce Barnum has taken over the program as the Head Coach for 2015. He has 61 returning letterwinners and 16 returning starters.

PSU opens the 2015 season at Washington State (3-9 in 2014) on Sept. 5. The Vikings and the Cougars meet for the second year in a row. WSU beat PSU 59-21 last year in Martin Stadium. It will be the third time in history that Portland State has played the Cougars and 15th time in history that the Vikings have faced a Pac-12 foe. 

"(Washington State) is a good test for us to start the season because it forces you to be mistake-free and play fundamental football… that's a challenge for us. But it is going to test where we are at in terms of turning the football over - the mistakes that kill you in a football game - we will have to eliminate those," said Barnum. 

The following week, Portland State will play on the road again as it opens its Big Sky Conference schedule at Idaho State (8-4, 6-2). The Bengals beat the Vikings 31-13 at Providence Park in 2014. That was the first ISU win in the series in five seasons. Barnum returns to Pocatello, where he coached from 1998-2006 and spent several seasons as the Bengals offensive coordinator, as a new head coach for the first time.

After a bye week, Portland State will play its home opener on Sept. 26 at Providence Park. PSU hosts Division II Western Oregon (6-5) for the second straight year in a non-conference game. The Vikings beat the Wolves 45-38 in the 2014 home opener, played at Hillsboro Stadium.

On Oct. 3, the Vikings host another home game, its Big Sky opener against North Dakota (5-7, 3-5). That game will be played at Hillsboro Stadium due to a scheduling conflict at Providence Park. Last year's meeting with UND was another close game as PSU fell short 24-16 in Grand Forks.

A first-ever meeting with North Texas (4-8) marks the Vikings final non-conference game on Oct. 10. PSU will travel to Denton, TX, just outside of Dallas, for a battle with the Mean Green of Conference USA. It will the first time the Vikings have ever played a CUSA program. 

Beginning perhaps Portland State's toughest three-game stretch in conference, the Vikings will host the first of two Treasure State opponents when the Vikings play Montana State (8-5, 6-2) on Oct. 17. That game, along with an October 31 meeting with Montana (9-5, 6-2), will be played at Providence Park. The Bobcats have dominated the series with the Vikings in recent years, winning eight straight meetings, including a 29-22 victory last year in Bozeman. 

PSU has also lost eight in a row to the Grizzlies, dating back to 2005. The Halloween home date is only the second time in four years that the teams have met due to the expanded Big Sky Conference. It marks the first time Montana has come to Portland since 2010.

Between those two games is an Oct. 24 trip to Cal Poly (7-5, 5-3). The Vikings were roughed up by the Mustangs last year in a non-conference game in San Luis Obispo, 42-14. This year's game is a conference counter as the Vikings try to contend with Cal Poly's triple-option offense. The Mustangs have beaten the Vikings three straight times.

"A great stretch," said Barnum, referring to those three weeks. "Obviously, we would like to be going into that up and rolling, hitting on all cylinders against three quality opponents, three of the top opponents in this conference. That will be a true test at midseason of where we are as a football program, how we have changed from last year, and where we are going."

PSU and Northern Colorado (3-8, 2-6) will meet for the first time in three years on Nov. 7 in Greeley. The last time the teams locked up was in 2012, a 32-28 Bears' win at Providence Park. Portland State still holds a 5-2 edge in Big Sky games with UNC and has never lost a conference game at Nottingham Field (3-0).

The Vikings' final regular season home game is Nov. 14 when they take on Southern Utah (3-9, 3-5). Still relatively new to the Big Sky Conference, the Thunderbirds have won both league meetings over PSU. The last one was a 17-7 win in Cedar City in 2013. 

Portland State wraps up its 2015 regular season schedule at defending Big Sky Conference Champion Eastern Washington (11-3, 7-1) on Nov. 21. The Vikings and Eagles have met every season since 1990. The Big Sky Conference series, which Eastern leads 12-7, began in 1996. Last season, the fifth-ranked Eagles beat the Vikings, 56-34, at Providence Park. 

All-American quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. has transferred to Oregon, but Barnum anticipates the perennial top-10 Eagles to be as good as ever.

"Losing their quarterback, I am sure they took a step back for a minute," said Barnum, " But they have a great coaching staff that will put it all back on track, and by that time of the season they will have it rolling."

SCHEDULE NOTES
• This is the sixth time that Portland State has played at least two FBS level programs in the same season (the Vikings played three in 2006).
• Due to the 13-team Big Sky Conference, Portland State plays three teams it did not see in 2014: Montana, Northern Colorado and Southern Utah. The Vikings see four other opponents cycle off its schedule in 2015: Northern Arizona, UC Davis, Sacramento State and Weber State.
• The 2015 NCAA I FCS playoffs, which includes 24 teams, begin on Nov. 28. 
• Televised games and game times will be announced at a later date.

SEASON TICKETS
• Portland State football season ticket renewals will go out on March 13. Season ticket holders should receive their information in the mail by the week of March 16. 
• New season tickets orders and single game ticket sales will begin on June 1.
• For additional ticket information, call 503-725-4647.

SPRING FOOTBALL
Portland State's spring football practice takes place, Mar. 31-Apr. 25. The Vikings will practice from 7-9 a.m. at Stott Community Field every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, beginning on Tuesday, Mar. 31 and ending on Thursday, Apr. 23. The Spring Game will take place on Saturday, April 25. Time and location are to be determined.

2015 PORTLAND STATE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 5 at Washington State
Sept. 12 at Idaho State*
Sept. 19 bye
Sept. 26 WESTERN OREGON at Providence Park
Oct. 3 NORTH DAKOTA* at Hillsboro Stadium
Oct. 10 at North Texas
Oct. 17 MONTANA STATE* at Providence Park
Oct. 24 at Cal Poly*
Oct. 31 MONTANA* at Providence Park
Nov. 7 at Northern Colorado*
Nov. 14 SOUTHERN UTAH* at Providence Park
Nov. 21 at Eastern Washington*
*Big Sky Conference game