(Portland State's Bruce Barnum was selected as the Big Sky Conference's coach of the year Wednesday following a vote of its head coaches.
Barnum has guided an incredible turnaround at Portland State, taking over last year's 3-9 team as its interim head coach and leading the Vikings to a 9-2 record and their second berth in the FCS playoffs this season. They defeated two FBS schools (Washington State and North Texas) and went 5-0 against ranked FCS opponents in the regular season, including a win over Big Sky champion Southern Utah as part of a 6-2 conference mark.
Barnum, who received a five-year contract extension last month, is a finalist for the STATS FCS Coach of the Year award.
Portland State will host either Eastern Illinois or Northern Iowa in a second-round playoff game on Dec. 5.
