One Week Left: 2008 College Football season kicks off

Iowa State will host one of the first games of the 2008 college football season from Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. The ISU Cyclones face the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, a FCS school, with a 7 pm start on August 28, 2008.

One week from today, the 2008 college football season will begin. Also, in the State of Iowa, high school football will begin, with the first week of action.

The Cyclones are coming off a 3-9 (2-6 in Big 12 in '07) season under second year head coach Gene Chizik. The Jackrabbits were 7-4 last year and will join the University of Northern Iowa in the new Missouri Valley Football Conference (formerly known as the Gateway) for 2008.

This will be a huge game for the Jackrabbits, who last year did not face a FBS opponent. As Jackrabbits head coach John Stiegelmeier points out in this "big time" game:

‘‘Normally we talk about a game three, four days before we play it. So we
started six, seven months early,’’ Stiegelmeier said Monday. ‘‘We did that
because things have changed. It’s a higher level. We need to have that focus.’’

Iowa State is on a one game losing streak to FCS programs, after losing to UNI at home in '07. However, the Cyclones are on a two game winning streak at Jack Trice, with back to back Big 12 wins over Colorado and Kansas State in '07.

One week from today... we will kick off the 2008 college football season!

peace