The 2025 Portland State Football schedule will be one of the most unique in school history, including a home game at Providence Park. Along the way the Vikings will face a first-time "zero week" opponent, opponents from nine different states and four time zones, departure from the mainland, and of course, the usual difficulty of four playoff opponents and two FBS-level opponents.
 
PSU will have the earliest start in school history with a zero week home game against a first-time opponent Tarleton State on Aug. 23. The Texans are members of the United Athletic Conference and were an FCS playoff team in 2024. Tarleton finished the year 10-4, winning an opening-round game to Drake before losing to fourth-ranked South Dakota.
 
The Vikings then have an extremely challenging three-game road stretch, including a pair of FBS opponents. PSU plays at BYU on Aug. 30. The Cougars were 11-2 in 2024, including 7-2 in the Mountain West Conference, and winners of the Alamo Bowl, 36-14, over Colorado. BYU ended the year ranked 17th in the nation. The teams have met once previously, a 20-6 PSU loss at BYU, in 2017.
 
A trip further east comes the following week (Sept. 6) with a game at North Dakota. PSU and North Dakota are former Big Sky Conference foes, but UND moved to the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2020. North Dakota leads the all-time series 6-2. The Fighting Hawks had a 5-7 record in 2024.
 
On Sept. 13 the scenery will look completely different with Portland State playing at Hawai'i. The Warriors were also 5-7 last season, with a 3-4 mark in the Mountain West. Hawai'i leads the series with the Vikings, 5-1. The last meeting was a 49-35 Warriors win in 2021 at the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex on the Hawai'i campus in front of no fans due to COVID restrictions.
 
Big Sky Conference play opens with Northern Arizona at home on Sept. 27. The Lumberjacks were 8-5 in 2024, 6-2 in the Big Sky, and reached the FCS playoffs. The teams last met in 2023, a 45-21 Viking win in Flagstaff. PSU has won the last two meetings, but NAU leads the Big Sky series, 14-7.
 
Dam Cup competition returns on Oct. 4 with PSU traveling to Eastern Washington (4-8 in 2024). The Vikings have won the Dam Cup Rivalry Trophy in the past two meetings with the Eagles, and have actually held it for three years as the teams did not play in 2024. The Vikings won 38-35 at Eastern Washington in 2022, then 47-35 at home in 2023. The all-time series is tied between the programs 22-22-1, so the 2025 game will be for the Trophy and to break the all-time tie.
 
Portland State will try to avenge last season's loss to Weber State when it hosts the Wildcats on Oct. 18. WSU beat PSU 43-16 early last fall in Ogden. The Wildcats hold a 24-15 all-time edge and 14-9 Big Sky Conference edge in the series.
 
The Vikings travel to Idaho on Oct. 25 to face a program transitioning with a new head coach. The Vandals were 10-4 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs before they were knocked out by Montana State. Idaho leads the Big Sky series with Vikings, 4-1, including wins in the last three games. Of six Big Sky Conference matchups, this will be the fourth played in Moscow.
 
On Nov. 1, Portland State will play at Cal Poly. The Vikings and Mustangs last met in 2023, a 59-21 Viking win at Hillsboro Stadium. Cal Poly comes off a 3-8 season. The Mustangs lead the Big Sky series with the Vikings, 5-3.
 
After two games in a row on the road, PSU will have two in a row at home. Sacramento State comes to town on Nov. 8. Portland State leads the series with the Hornets, 24-14 all-time and 14-9 in Big Sky games. The Vikings picked up a 58-38 win at Hornets Stadium last November.
 
A long-awaited return to Providence Park in downtown Portland arrives on Nov. 15 when Portland State hosts no less an opponent than the Montana Grizzlies. The Vikings' former home, it marks PSU's first game in the venerable downtown stadium since Oct. 13, 2018. Montana comes off a 9-5 season in which it once again reached the FCS playoffs. The Grizzlies beat the Vikings, 28-17, in Missoula in November and have won four in a row in the series.
 
Snow could be a factor in the Vikings' regular-season finale as they travel to Northern Colorado. PSU will try to pick up a sixth straight win over the Bears. The Vikings beat UNC 45-13 in the 2024 finale and lead the all-time series 12-5.
 
Season Ticket Renewals and new season ticket deposits are now available. Contact Malik Thirdgill at mthird2@pdx.edu. 
 

2025 PORTLAND STATE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Aug. 23, Tarleton State at Hillsboro Stadium
Aug. 30, at BYU
Sept. 6, at North Dakota
Sept. 13, at Hawai'i
Sept. 20, Bye
Sept. 27, Northern Arizona* at Hillsboro Stadium
Oct. 4, at Eastern Washington*
Oct. 11, Bye
Oct. 18, Weber State* at Hillsboro Stadium
Oct. 25, at Idaho*
Nov. 1, at Cal Poly*
Nov. 8, Sacramento State* at Hillsboro Stadium
Nov. 15, Montana* at Providence Park
Nov. 22, at Northern Colorado*
 
* Big Sky Conference game
Home games in bold
Game times and TV information TBA
All home games and Big Sky games air on ESPN+
 

SCHEDULE NOTES

• PSU is pursuing an unprecedented 13th game - at home - due to playing on zero week and having an exempt game at Hawai'i. With two open dates on the schedule, game 13 is tentative at this time.
• 2025 will be the 79th season of Portland State Football and the 30th as a member of the Big Sky Conference.
• The Vikings face five teams that were on the schedule in 2024: Weber State, Idaho, Sacramento State, Montana and Northern Colorado. PSU was 2-3 against that group.
• Of the non-conference opponents, PSU has never played Tarleton State, faced BYU once (0-1), North Dakota eight times (2-6) and Hawai'i six times (1-5)... PSU's 45-20 win at Hawai'i in 2000 was the program's first-ever over an FBS-level program (the Vikings now have four such wins).
• PSU's two FBS-level opponents are BYU and Hawai'i. PSU is 4-48 all-time when playing "up" against FBS programs. Wins have come over Hawai'i (2000), New Mexico (2006), Washington State (2015) and North Texas (2015)… this marks the 11th consecutive season that Portland State has played two FBS opponents. PSU has done so a total of 15 times, including three in 2006.
• BYU was ranked 17th in the final 2024 FBS polls and won a bowl game over Colorado... Tarleton State (13th), Northern Arizona (22nd), Idaho (7th), and Montana (10th) were all ranked in the final 2024 FCS poll and competed in the 2024 FCS playoffs.
• Portland State last played at Providence Park on Oct. 13, 2018, a 35-14 win over Northern Colorado. The Vikings last played a full season at Providence Park in 2016... that was also the last time Portland State played its first game of the season at home. Since then, PSU has opened on the road seven straight times.
• Portland State has won the Dam Cup rivalry trophy game in the last two meetings with Eastern Washington (2022, 2023). The teams did not meet in 2024.
• The Vikings will play opponents from Washington, Idaho, Utah (2), North Dakota, Hawai'i, Arizona, California (2), Montana, Texas and Colorado.