Are we there yet? Eight months of breathless anticipation has led to football fanatics foaming at the mouth for an actual game. We're almost there, and neither of South Dakota's two Div. I teams are easing into the season against punching bags from Sloppy Joe State on Saturday. Both games are seeping with scintillating storylines, particularly for both Rushmore State quarterbacks. FCS No. 3 South Dakota State is anywhere between a 3-point and 32-point home favorite — depending on which odds you trust — against FCS No. 15 Sacramento State under the lights at a packed house in Brookings. The wildly differing lines speak to the utter uncertainty surrounding two new teams with new head coaches, new quarterbacks, and plenty of new FBS transfers. FCS No. 5 South Dakota is a 16.5-point underdog at FBS No. 22 Iowa State. USD's Aidan Bouman — stop if you've heard this — has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to take down the Big 12 school that initially took him in as a four-star prep QB from Minnesota. In a one-on-one interview with Happy Hour host John Gaskins, Bouman explains why he left Ames for Vermillion two years ago, explains his emotions of returning to play on the big stage he thought he would star, and how he can lead a team with high expectations but plenty of fresh faces to an upset for the ages. How will the Cyclones try to prevent that, and what did we learn from ISU in their white-knuckle 24-21 win over Kansas State in Ireland last week? Veteran Des Moines sports radio host Travis Justice joins to answer that and elaborate on Matt Campbell's program. Justice has also frequently opined about former SDSU quarterback Mark Gronowski, Iowa's new Million Dollar Man (some have reported $2 million in NIL money). What should be the expectations in the more challenging Big Ten for the former FCS national champion and Walter Payton Award winner? Before Bouman and Justice break down these big games in Iowa, Gaskins and Sioux Falls Live sports reporter Trent Singer belly up at the Orion Pub to drink beer and sink their teeth into the Jackrabbits-Sac State showdown — both the delicious offseason drama and the actual matchups and game flow — and the "Bouman Game" in Ames. It's the debut of this weekly ritual we are calling "The Thirsty Thursday Football Forecast." Both Div. II schools in Sioux Falls are picked to finish in the top 5 of the 14-team Northern Sun conference. No. 16 Augustana (picked second in the NSIC) opens at home Saturday with Missouri Western, while the University of Sioux Falls (picked fifth) ignites the third season of the Jim Glogowski era in Spearfish against Black Hills State. What should we expect from the Vikings and Cougars in Week 1 and beyond? Plus, a preview of the season openers for the Sioux Falls metro area's 11AAA teams: The Top 5 tilt between Harrisburg and O'Gorman and the doubleheader at Howard Wood Field involving both No. 1 teams (tied in this week's poll) — Sioux Falls Lincoln (vs. Rapid City Stevens) and Brandon Valley (vs. Sioux Falls Washington).