Provo • The cost to lure a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team to BYU apparently has gone up.
That, or the Southern Utah University football team was shortchanged last November when it received $400,000 to play the Cougars at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The Thunderbirds got $435,000 for their game against Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium last September.
The Cougars host another FCS opponent, Portland State, at 1 p.m. Saturday in another “guarantee game.”
According to the BYU-Portland State game contract obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune, BYU will pay Portland State $525,000 for the visit. The Cougars paid the Big Sky Conference school $50,000 before Sept. 1 of 2015 and will pay the remaining $475,000 no later than 30 days following the completion of the game.
The contract originally called for BYU and Portland State to play Sept. 23, 2017, but the game was rescheduled for Saturday when the Cougars became eligible to play a 13th game this season by scheduling Hawaii. The NCAA decided in 2010 that teams that play at Hawaii can play 13 games.
“The officials’ association that regularly assigns BYU’s home football games shall assign officials for the game,” the contract stipulates.
It also calls for BYU to provide Portland State with 300 complimentary tickets. The Vikings had the option of requesting up to 2,000 tickets on consignment to be sold at face value.
In other BYU home game contracts obtained by The Tribune, the Cougars have been partially responsible for the visiting teams’ travel expenses. That’s not the case in this particular game, perhaps explaining the difference in paychecks for PSU and SUU, which also plays in the Big Sky Conference.
Bushman debut
Freshman returned missionary Matt Bushman, who is being called BYU’s best prospect at tight end since Dennis Pitta, is expected to make his college debut against the Vikings.
“Yeah, I am really excited. I am not necessarily nervous, I am mostly anxious to get out there and get going,” Bushman said. “It is going to be awesome playing in front of a huge crowd. I’ve never done that before. It is going to be a fun experience for me, and I just can’t wait.”
Utah-Oregon ties
Portland State’s starting free safety, 6-foot-3, 215-pound junior Braxton Winterton, is from Lindon and played at Pleasant Grove High and Snow College.
Backup right tackle Tyshon Mosley is from Sandy and played at Jordan High and Utah State before transferring to Portland State.
Two BYU players list Oregon as their current state of residence. BYU tight end Tanner Balderree is from from Sherwood and backup kicker Andrew Mikkelsen is from Canby.