SEATTLE — Paul Wulff is getting one more season to rebuild Washington State football. And he had better show progress.

There’s more than his job riding on it.

“He has to show improvement next year. And he will,” Cougars athletic director Jim Sterk said Monday night, moments after speaking to about 40 season-ticket holders and donors to the athletic department from the Puget Sound area.

Sterk traveled from the WSU campus in Pullman to Seattle’s Washington Athletic Club — a traditional hangout for well-heeled supporters of the hated rival Washington Huskies, whose campus is only a few miles away — for the first of a four-stop, town-hall tour of the state.

Washington State is making a push for investment in proposed luxury suites and other premium seating that is the third phase of a remodeling of Martin Stadium.

The project is contingent upon supporters paying $5,000 per club seat, $100,000 per loge seat and $500,0000 per luxury suite. WSU has set a target of 80 percent of those premium seats having commitments through deposits before construction begins. The school hopes to begin building atop the north side of the stadium this spring, work through the 2010 season and have 24 suites, 31 loge boxes, 1,200 club seats and a new club lounge completed in time for the 2011 season.

The project has come down in cost from $56 million through new contractor estimates and the recession. It is being modeled after the “sky center” of suites and frills at the top of Bronco Stadium by Boise State for $35 million a few years ago.

Washington State has unique challenges in its campaign to raise private money. Its $30 million annual operating budget for the athletic department is the smallest in the Pac-10, dwarfed by the $80-some million at USC, $60 million at California, $50 million at Washington.

And, as Sterk mentioned, “we’re not in L.A., with 18 million people surrounding Pullman.”

“But,” he added, “we can create that college atmosphere you can’t replicate at USC, that you can’t replicate at UCLA.”

Wins would sure help that replication.

Sterk’s pitch won’t get anywhere near the strike zone if Cougars fans and potential buyers don’t believe Wulff is turning around a football program that is 3-22 in his first two seasons since he arrived from Eastern Washington. The same stadium WSU wants to expand and make more luxurious had an announced crowd of 16,167 for its last game, a loss to Oregon State last month. There may have been 10,000 actually there.

Publicly, Wulff is saying he believes the Cougars could compete for a bowl berth next season. He touts a second consecutive strong recruiting class, the physical maturity of a young team and specifically an offensive line often battered and overwhelmed while going 1-11 this season, the return from injury of standout running back James Montgomery and the first full season of starting for quarterback Jeff Tuel, who debuted impressively as a freshman before getting hurt this fall.

“We can’t have more faith in this coaching staff,” said Gino Simone, a Cougars wide receiver from the Seattle suburb of Sammamish.

The freshman said that after the Cougars got shut out in the Apple Cup for the first time since 1964 two weeks ago.

Sterk said a more realistic timeframe for a bowl may be 2011. But Wulff’s boss made it clear there must be tangible gains on the field before that.

“In football, we’re not anywhere near where we want to be,” Sterk told his audience, unexpectedly speaking alone because WSU president Elson Floyd flew back to Pullman following a pedestrian-automobile accident on campus Monday.

“But internally we see a lot of great things going on,” Sterk said.

He then mentioned how the low rate of retaining the recruiting classes of 2005, ‘06 and ‘07, players signed by former coach Bill Doba, put Wulff in a hole the WSU administration knew would take years from which to emerge.

Sterk also mentioned the attitude transformation among the players in the last year, offering the anecdote that this year’s freshman class is already ending offseason workout with a chant of “Rose Bowl!”

That drew some growls and knives tapping glasses.

“They can only appreciate that coach so much,” Sterk said in explaining the players’ and recruits’ need for improved facilities.

Sterk also said the Cougars are exploring options to continue the annual game at Seattle’s Qwest Field in 2010. The contract to do so has ended.

The AD could move the game with Montana State to Seattle early next season, but the concern is the lack of a marquee draw. There have been talks of moving the game with Pac-10 champion Oregon from Pullman, or to play Cal in Seattle in late November, but many don’t want to lose a conference game on campus.

Sterk said WSU is better off staying in Pullman, revenue-wise, if it doesn’t draw about 50,000 for a Seattle game. So a final option is to not come west next year.