I imagine the vastness of staring out on the open, visitor side with nothing there is a contributing factor. Those kinds of stadiums do suck. No track around it is a positive, but the two-tone turf on the sidelines is a trip, as are the baseball cutouts. Bottom line is none of that should matter once we kickoff, but crap venues can suck the life out of teams.

Pretty much every kid being recruited by one FCS program is awarded 3 stars, it is the baseline for kids who most likely will play college football. The jump to FBS will be felt the most in the Offensive and Defensive Line positions. Most of our starting skill and big skill players can play Mountain West football.

I am really curious about this Hillsboro Stadium, is it really that bad? Especially if you sit up high.

People are crazy. Parents, even at the collegiate (and professional level) have lost their minds. Keep Rocko and his family in your prayers.

Who owns/operates Providence Park, is it the City or the club? That's a shame, would really boost their profile and be good for the entire Big Sky.

Interesting idea on L&C. One-sided if I recall, or at least the one side is substantially larger than the other. Would come down to the ability to expand on the opposite side. If you could just replicate the home side, you'd be close to 10k I'm guessing. Nice call!

The only talk I've heard in recent years was trying to get into the old baseball stadium turned soccer stadium, and I believe that's where they played Montana last year, but nothing long term. Until they secure that lease, or build something else, they're out in the suburbs. Big school, right downtown so space is at a premium. The stadium is a multipurpose sports complex, so there are a lot of different uses for it I guess. Harkens back to a slightly nicer version of the old 1970s convertible stadiums like Candlestick, Anaheim, Riverfront, and 3 Rivers.

If I make it, the noon kickoff sucks with an early Saturday morning flight up, we'll have to tailgate on the plane.

Single-sided stadium with a cover, correct? Hopefully it is oriented properly.

Tough place to travel to and to play. Like said, the later the worse it gets. In my experience in that part of the PNW, the wind is often blowing, doesn't matter if it's 90 or 30 outside. Long way from the beach up in Cheney :down:

Player evaluations are like tastes in wine, cigars, ice cream, whatever. While most people are looking for the same thing in Offensive Linemen, the so-called skill positions are where you get the most stylistic variance amongst coaches. Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Wide Receivers; different strokes for different folks. That's why recruiting rankings are so useless. Most of the guys slapping stars onto prospects haven't sat in meetings with OC's and HC's asking them why they should recruit this guy or that guy with their collective livelihoods on the line. Kids get stars based on stats, where they go to school, and which camps they pay to attend. Scam

Watch the film and rank him yourselves. It's all a load of BS anyway with the recruiting "services" and their star rankings. Compare him to what we have in the RB room right now.

No one has ever slightly exaggerated/stretched the truth as part of the recruiting process... The kid is pretty fired-up about it though.

That thing is being built with an upper deck in mind...

I think we're all overstating the potential heat and humidity of an August noonday in Portland, Oregon. It will be hot, yes. Not many places outside of Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Eureka, Gold Beach, and Astoria that won't have the potential of a 90+ degree day with some humidity. Big deal. These are college athletes with, at least in our case, an elite strength and conditioning program, training all summer in the heat on a daily basis. Absolutely no chance the day in Portland is comparable to the night in Montgomery. The weather is a non-factor for this game unless you are hungover in the 3rd quarter from an early start or a late night on Distillery Row. The only way it plays into the outcome is if there is a driving rainstorm. I suffice to say that the empty stadium and crappy game atmosphere is a bigger concern for the coaches, but that will be mitigated by the excitement of the first game. The key to victory taking the better team on the road to Portland is not the "brutal" Oregon heat; it's managing the first game mistakes (especially with a rookie QB) and bringing your own juice to the party.

My father in law ranched up in the Willamette Valley back in the 50s and spoke of 100 degree summers. I've experienced that in the area as well. It can go dry for a couple months in some areas of the region. Average August temps there are in the 80s probably, with a good number of days exceeding 90. I'll take the under on 97, just playing the odds. And I agree, good tune-up for Dallas although there is nothing you can do to prepare for that climate other than nutrition/hydration and mental toughness. The boys learned that last year in Alabama and looked just fine. It's all about mindset and preparing your body. Go Ags!

Feels hotter on a hot day in the Pacific Northwest than it does in the California Valleys. Will be a test of mental toughness and conditioning for sure, especially in an empty stadium.

I've been beating the beer garden drum at Davis for a year now. It is a MUST. I've actually been into the suite section on the home side at SLO before with a buddy, it's not as cool as it looks. Someday I'll have to tell the tale of the fight with the Madden complex, it was not exactly a smooth transaction. How sweet are the original bleachers!?

Yep. Can get sneaky warm up there, low-90s not uncommon. Nothing like Davis in August though

We have a kickoff time posted for 12 NOON up in Hillsboro

Very true. And I'm sure our coaches express the difference between "committable" and "non-committable" offers, and UCD strikes me as the type of place that would only make committable offers.

Sounds like we're seeing the same thing...