Battling the Big Sky Conference's first-place team and the league's stingiest defense on Saturday, the Portland State Vikings added another line to a growing resume of success in 2015.

In a game in which neither team held an advantage of more than one score, Portland State hung on to beat the Southern Utah, 24-23, and improve to 8-2 on the season. Now 5-2 in the Big Sky, PSU stands one game behind Southern Utah (6-1) with one week to play in the regular season. If the Vikings can win on the road at Eastern Washington and get some help from Northern Arizona in its game with Southern Utah next Saturday, PSU would have at least a share of the Big Sky Championship. A tie-breaker process would then go into effect to determine which team (five still have a chance to finish 6-2) would earn an automatic bid into the NCAA playoffs beginning on Nov. 28.

At eight wins, the Vikings would already appear to have an NCAA at-large berth in their pockets. However, it is not guaranteed and would be up to the NCAA Division I Playoff Committee on Nov. 22 when it selects and places 13 at-large teams to go with 11 automatic bids in the 24-team playoff bracket.

Still, win or lose at Eastern Washington next Saturday, the Vikings should have the resume to be selected into the playoffs. Here are their credentials:

• 8-2 on the season, 5-2 and tied for second place in the Big Sky Conference. PSU is currently the only eight-win team in the Big Sky, one of the top conferences at the FCS level.
• Ranked 15th in the nation and destined to rise higher following a win when Monday's national rankings are released.
• 4-0 against nationally-ranked teams this season.
• 2-0 against FBS programs, including 7-3 Washington State (24-7), and a blowout of North Texas (66-7, biggest victory margin by an FCS program over an FBS program in NCAA history)
• Winners of five of the last six games, including traditional powerhouses Montana and Montana State.

TOP OF THE BIG SKY
These five teams still hold hopes of a share of the Big Sky Conference title and potential automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.

Southern Utah    6-1, 7-3 (vs. Northern Arizona)
Portland State    5-2, 8-2 (at Eastern Washington)
Northern Arizona    5-2, 7-3 (at Southern Utah)
Eastern Washington    5-2, 6-4 (vs. Portland State)
Montana    5-2, 6-4 (at Montana State)

Portland State, now in its 20th season in the Big Sky, has never won a league title. The Vikings have tied for second place four times. PSU has made one appearance in the NCAA I FCS playoffs (2000) after making eight trip to the NCAA II playoffs.

THE NCAA DIVISION I POST-SEASON
The Big Sky Conference champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Playoffs, beginning on Nov. 28. 24 teams qualify for the NCAA playoffs, with eight games on Nov. 28 and eight teams earning first-round byes.     

The NCAA Division I Football Championship bracket will be announced on Sunday, November 22. The field consists of 11 automatic qualifiers and 13 at-large teams selected by the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee.    

The top eight teams in the 24-team bracket for the championship are seeded and receive first-round byes. Team pairings are determined according to geographical proximity. Teams from the same conference will not be paired for first round games or for second round games when both teams are playing their first games of the championship (except for teams from the same conference that did not play against each other during the regular season; such teams may play each other in the first and second round).    

Eight first-round games will be conducted on Saturday, November 28 on the campus of one of the competing institutions, and the winners will advance to the second round. The second round also features eight games on Saturday, December 5 on the campus of one of the competing teams. Second round winners meet in the quarterfinals on December 11 or 12 on the campus of one of the competing institutions with the winners advancing to the semifinal games on December 18 or 19 also on campus. The winners will play in the 2016 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game in Frisco, Texas on Saturday, January 9 at 11 a.m. Central Time.

BEST RECORDS IN VIKING FOOTBALL HISTORY
Portland State's eight wins are the most at the Division I level. Here are PSU's top regular season records as a Division I program (1977-80, 1996-present): 

2015    8-2
1999    8-3
2000    8-3 (finished 8-4 after playoffs)
1980    8-3
2001    7-4
2004    7-4
2006    7-4
2011    7-4

At the NCAA II level, PSU had regular season records of 9-1-1 (1987), 9-2 (1991), 8-2 (1993, 1994), 8-2-1 (1988), and 8-3 (1975, 1976, 1984, 1989).