[1] The Spartans' 70-63 win over Rice on October 2 set an NCAA record for overall points scored by both teams in regulation.
[2] The San Jose Mercury News reported in March 2004 that budget cuts led some faculty members at San Jose State to advocate removing the SJSU football program from Division IA athletics.
[3] Locally there was much speculation that San Jose State would drop football due to poor attendance and student-athlete graduation rates.
[4] The "Read-2-Lead Classic" was an attempt to help the football team achieve average attendance of 15,000 to retain NCAA Division I-A status.
With an emphasis on literacy, the university hosted a series of events in September 2004, including a conversation with comedian Bill Cosby and a concert by Boyz II Men.