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).

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. How will the Cyclones prevent a fairy tale upset, and what did we learn from ISU in their white-knuckle 24-21 win over Kansas State in Ireland last week?    Happy Hour host 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."    Plus, 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?   The guys finish with 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).

FCS No. 5 South Dakota is a 16.5-point underdog at FBS No. 22 Iowa State. 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. 

Also, a glimpse into the new skill position weapons and mostly-new offensive line he is working with, his new offensive coordinator Tim Morrison, and how he'll be putting his offseason body transformation — which he digs into — to good use right away against likely the biggest, fastest defense the Coyotes will face all year.

FCS No. 5 South Dakota is a 16.5-point underdog at FBS No. 22 Iowa State on Saturday. 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.     How can the Cycolones 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?   Then, there's Nebraska, who opens in Kansas City on Thursday against Cincinnati. Oh, Nebraska. Is this their year to break out of its vicious, annual vicious cycle of preseason Polyanna hysteria and optimism followed by mediocrity and mind-blowing, heart-breaking big game futility, especially against Iowa? Justice has lived for over 20 years in Omaha, where he was a long-time TV and radio sportscaster covering the Huskers and currently hosts a weekly podcast with former All-American lineman legend Rob Zatechka.

As we celebrate Saturday's kickoff to the 2025 college football season, the fans of both of South Dakota's Division I teams may just have Nashville and the FCS National Championship on their mind. They should. Both South Dakota State and South Dakota fell one win short of playing for the title last year and both are ranked in the preseason FCS Top 5.

If you take a wider view of the college football landscape, it is also easy and logical to wonder just how much longer SDSU and USD — particularly the firmly-established, two-time national champion Jackrabbits — will be in the FCS. So many contemporaries have flocked to the FBS the last decade. Why not the Jacks and Yotes?

No doubt, North Dakota State fans are not only pondering a jump to the FBS, but some are pining for it, if only out of boredom of 10 national titles and most of their games every season for 15 years ending in blowout wins. Declining Fargodome attendance suggests that.

Some NDSU media are shouting from the mountain top to move up, but, of course, as Sacramento State in its public bid to move to the FBS this past year proves, you need an invitation to an FCS conference. Within the last couple years, according to veteran Fargo columnist/reporter Mike McFeely, Bison administrators were at the very least having conversations with officials from the Mountain West Conference. Eventually, Northern Illinois got the nod (for football only).

But does that shut the door on the Bison or perhaps the Jacks and Yotes to ever join the MWC, which was ravaged by the departure (after this 2025 season) of five schools to the Pac 12, which was ravaged by the departure of 10 of 12 schools to the Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12?

If you listen carefully to recent remarks from both Wyoming athletic director Tom Burman (last week with Rapid City radio host Nate Brown) and SDSU A.D. Justin Sell (March 5 on Happy Hour with John Gaskins), it sure seems like the door is open.

Gaskins connects the dots of those remarks — plus the current state of the MWC and landscape of college football — to suggest who may be leaving the FCS and who may be staying in the next few years.

Also, the Minnesota Vikings traded a couple mid-round draft picks to the Carolina Panthers for an old friend, 35-year-old Adam Thielen, who returns to his home state to provide wide receiver depth for an offense that sorely needs it. In addition to inducing an emotional, nostalgic if not euphoric reaction from most Vikings fans, why did this deal make so much sense?

TWO GUESTS FOR THIS SHOW!

He's back! — just in time for his debut as FCS No. 5 South Dakota's head coach and his first-ever game as a head coach, period.

While Travis Johansen spent over 25 minutes last week with Happy Hour digging in to his first eight months in that role and how he'll handle it on gamedays, this week's one-on-one with host John Gaskins focuses on his USD's formidable first opponent.

Iowa State is coming off an 11-win season in which it shared the Big 12 regular season title and enters Saturday already 1-0 in 2025 after a hard-fought 24-21 "Farmageddon" rivalry game win over No. 17 Kansas State in Ireland.

Why is Johansen unconvinced there will be neither ISU "jet leg" in USD's favor, nor "trap game" syndrome, with the Coyotes falling between two monster rivalry contests on the Cyclones' schedule? In-state Iowa looms on the horizon next week.

What are Johansen's observations of Iowa State's offense and defense, particularly veteran quarterback Rocco Brecht, who made several clutch plays to carry the Cyclones down the stretch?

How differently do the Yotes have to scheme a Power Four conference team with bigger, stronger, faster, and more athletic players at every position than likely any team USD will face the rest of the season?

Why does Johansen feel no need to chat with quarterback Aidan Bouman about mitigating the senior's emotions of returning to Ames to face the school he started his college career with before leaving to get more playing time in Vermillion?

After Travis, a treat for fans of Bud Grant, The Purple People Eaters, and all things old school Minnesota Vikings. Pat Duncan is a Sioux Falls native who wrote and edited both sports and news for the Argus Leader from 1984-2015. 

The Washington High School alumnus poured his passion of sportswriting and died-in-wool Vikings and Twins fandom into a pair of books — "Last Kings of the NFL" about the 1969 Vikings, and "Swings of Change" about 13 different professional baseball players from the 1970's, which Duncan calls a transformative decade in the sport.  

Of the Vikings four Super Bowl teams from 1969-76, why did he choose the first, which did not include quarterback Fran Tarkenton nor running back Chuck Foreman, the two most famous and revered offensive legends of that decade? And what did Duncan learn while interviewing legends like Grant, Jim Marshall, Carl Eller, and others?

Later in the chat, Duncan tells classic stories about covering Game 6 and Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, captured by the Twins. Plus, Duncan's memories covering a No. 1 vs No. 2 college football clash dubbed "Game of the Century II" in Lincoln between Nebraska and Oklahoma, back when Tom Osborne and Barry Switzer waged one of their 17 big red battles for Big Eight Conference supremacy. The contrast of the two coaches was stark!

As we celebrate Saturday's kickoff to the 2025 college football season, the fans of both of South Dakota's Division I teams may just have Nashville and the FCS National Championship on their mind. They should. Both South Dakota State and South Dakota fell one win short of playing for the title last year and both are ranked in the preseason FCS Top 5.

If you take a wider view of the college football landscape, it is also easy and logical to wonder just how much longer SDSU and USD — particularly the firmly-established, two-time national champion Jackrabbits — will be in the FCS. So many contemporaries have flocked to the FBS the last decade. Why not the Jacks and Yotes?

No doubt, North Dakota State fans are not only pondering a jump to the FBS, but some are pining for it, if only out of boredom of 10 national titles and most of their games every season for 15 years ending in blowout wins. Declining Fargodome attendance suggests that.

Some NDSU media are shouting from the mountain top to move up, but, of course, as Sacramento State in its public bid to move to the FBS this past year proves, you need an invitation to an FCS conference. Within the last couple years, according to veteran Fargo columnist/reporter Mike McFeely, Bison administrators were at the very least having conversations with officials from the Mountain West Conference officials. Eventually, Northern Illinois got the nod (for football only).

But does that shut the door on the Bison or perhaps the Jacks and Yotes to ever join the MWC, which was ravaged by the departure of six schools to the Pac 12, which was ravaged by the departure of 10 of 12 schools to both the Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12?

If you listen carefully to recent remarks from both Wyoming athletic director Tom Burman (last week with Rapid City radio host Nate Brown) and SDSU A.D. Justin Sell (March 5 on Happy Hour with John Gaskins), it sure seems like the door is open.

Gaskins connects the dots of those remarks — plus the current state of the MWC and landscape of college football — to suggest who may be leaving the FCS and who may be staying in the next decade.

Also, the Minnesota Vikings traded with the Carolina Panthers for an old friend, 35-year-old Adam Thielen, who returns to his home state to provide wide receiver depth for an offense that sorely needs it. In addition to inducing an emotional, nostalgic if not euphoric reaction from most Vikings fans, why did this deal make so much sense?

He's back! — just in time for his debut as FCS No. 5 South Dakota's head coach and his first-ever game as a head coach, period.

While Travis Johansen spent over 25 minutes last week with Happy Hour digging in to his first eight months in that role and how he'll handle it on gamedays, this week's one-on-one with host John Gaskins focuses on his first opponent.

Iowa State is coming off an 11-win season in which it shared the Big 12 regular season title and enters Saturday already 1-0 in 2025 after a hard-fought 24-21 "Farmageddon" rivalry game win over No. 17 Kansas State in Ireland. 

Why is Johansen unconvinced there will be neither ISU "jet leg" in USD's favor, nor "trap game" syndrome, with the Coyotes falling between two monster rivalry contests on the Cyclones schedule? In-state Iowa looms on the schedule next week.

What are Johansen's observations of Iowa State's offense and defense, particularly veteran quarterback Rocco Brecht, who made several clutch plays to carry the Cyclones down the stretch?

How differently do the Yotes have to scheme a Power Four conference team with bigger, stronger, faster, and more athletic players at every position than likely any team USD will face the rest of the season?

Why does Johansen feel no need to chat with quarterback Aidan Bouman about mitigating the senior's emotions of returning to Ames to face the school he started his college career with before leaving to get more playing time in Vermillion?

Should we expect the Coyotes to be conservative, given their slim margin for error as a 15-point underdog? Or, perhaps for USD to cut it loose and take risks as a team with perceivably "nothing to lose."

Spoiler alert — Johansen is not a big fan of the phrase "nothing to lose." Find out why.

Will Saturday be another story of the "farm kids" from South Dakota being underestimated by a bunch of thoroughbred athletes from California?

The Dan Jackson Era and Chase Mason era at South Dakota State opens with a likely sold-out home game against Sacramento State, a 3-9 team from last year with over 50 FBS transfers and a brand new coach that is rated No. 15 in the preseason polls.

With so many new starters on each side, it is tough to accurately predict may unfold, but Sioux Falls Live sports editor and decade-long SDSU reporter Matt Zimmer takes a stab with Happy Hour host John Gaskins in a 74-minute chat over cocktails at Gateway Lounge.

But Zim pulls from over 20 years of covering South Dakota college football teams who lock horns with talented rosters from talent-rich states like California, while also unveiling some new Jackrabbits FBS transfers you should expect to see and maybe shine on Saturday and all season long. What exactly can we expect, especially from SDSU's new starting quarterback, Chase Mason, who has undeniably supreme physical talent but has not played a full game as a starting signal caller in six years, back to his junior year in high school?

Meanwhile, No. 4 South Dakota opens 2025 at FBS No. 22 Iowa State, who impressively finished a 24-21 prize fight win over No. 17 Kansas State in Ireland on Saturday. How much of a factor will jet lag from a trip to Ireland factor in USD's favor, not to mention this being a "sandwich" game for the Cyclones between rivals KSU and Iowa (next week)? What kind of upset threat can USD mount, with its own litany of transfer replacements but also with a guiding light in senior quarterback in Aidan Bouman, a former Cyclone with plenty to prove against his former team and NFL scouts?

Plus, a glimpse into the "Washington State Jackrabbits," led by former SDSU coach Jimmy Rogers, who brought his staff and 16 players with him to the Palouse. The Cougars, who play Idaho on national television late Saturday, have shut down practices to the media after reported inner-team practice scuffles.

Speaking of former Jacks, quarterback Mark Gronowski is Iowa's "Million Dollar Man" (or $2 Million Man, depending on who you believe). What should we expect of the former Walter Payton Award winner in the stacked Big Ten, and in what way will life be more different and difficult for him compared to the FCS?

Then, there's No. 8 Alabama, led by former USF coach Kalen DeBoer, who starts his second season on the road at Florida State. Why should there be reason for the Crimson Tide to improve after their first four-loss season in 17 years?

Finally, how much more secure should the Minnesota Vikings feel about their QB2 situation now that they dumped Sam Howell and made room for North Dakota State legend Carson Wentz, who joins his sixth NFL team in six years?

 

Fresh off calling the IFL championship on CBS, Riggs digs into SDSU and USD opening games (plus Mark Gronowski and Kalen DeBoer), while Hart chats about recent USF re-branding and issues facing D2 schools   It is finally game week for local and regional high school and college football, and there is nobody better to help kick off a fresh season than veteran prep and college TV analyst Kurtiss Riggs, the 11-time league champion former coach of the Sioux Falls Storm and three-time national championship assistant coach with current Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer at the University of Sioux Falls. Fresh off calling the Indoor Football League championship game for CBS — Yes, the CBS, the network not just the CBS Sports Network — Riggs sinks his teeth into the wildly intriguing opening matchups for both South Dakota State and South Dakota. The FCS No. 3-ranked Jackrabbits host No. 15 Sacramento State on Saturday, with both squads trotting out new head coaches, new coaching staffs, and a cavalcade of new players via the transfer portal. So, what exactly can we expect, especially from SDSU's new starting quarterback, Chase Mason, who has undeniably supreme physical talent but has not played a full game as a starting signal caller in six years, back to his junior year in high school? Meanwhile, No. 4 South Dakota opens 2025 at FBS No. 22 Iowa State, who impressively finished a 24-21 prize fight win over No. 17 Kansas State in Ireland on Saturday. What does Riggs make of the Cyclones' performance and how does it translate to the matchup against the Coyotes, including the fatigue ISU players will feel after the 8,000 miles round-trip of flying? What kind of upset threat can USD mount, with its own litany of transfer replacements but also with a guiding light in senior quarterback in Aidan Bouman, a former Cyclone with plenty to prove against his former team and NFL scouts?   Plus, a glimpse into the "Washington State Jackrabbits," led by former SDSU coach Jimmy Rogers, who brought his staff and 16 players with him to the Palouse. The Cougars, who play Idaho on national television late Saturday, have shut down practices to the media after reported inner-team practice scuffles. Speaking of former Jacks, quarterback Mark Gronowski is Iowa's "Million Dollar Man" (or $2 Million Man, depending on who you believe). What should we expect of the former Walter Payton Award winner in the stacked Big Ten, and in what way will life be more different and difficult for him compared to the FCS? Then, there's No. 8 Alabama, led by Riggs' best friend and former USF teammate Kalen DeBoer, who starts his second season on the road at Florida State. Why should there be reason for the Crimson Tide to improve after their first four-loss season in 17 years?  Finally, how much more secure should the Minnesota Vikings feel about their QB2 situation now that they dumped Sam Howell and made room for North Dakota State legend Carson Wentz, who joins his sixth NFL team in six years? After Kurtiss, a chat with the man who now leads the athletic department of both his and DeBoer's alma mater.

Death. Taxes. A winning season for USF football.

These are some of the inevitable truths about life, at least the last 30 years, during which the Cougars have had only one non-winning record. That was two years ago in the first season of current coach Jim Glogowski, whose second squad last season turned the 3-8 record upside down to 8-3. The 2025 squad is picked to finish fifth out of 14 teams and kicks off the season at Black Hills State on Thursday.

With a new season comes renewed excitement at USF, whose football tradition no doubt owns a lion's share of the school's identity and brand for the last three decades. 

But a couple components of that brand received a shake-up over the summer. The Coo has a brand new logo and a new apparel deal with Nike after years with Under Armour. It is part of a second year athletic director Jon Hart's larger vision of keeping the small, private school competitive and on the cutting edge in a Div. II and Northern Sun conference landscape full of competitors with much larger enrollments and budgets.

In an extended sit-down with Happy Hour host John Gaskins, Hart dives into that vision, which includes the navigation of NIL deals. Yes, they exist in D2, as well. Hart also gives a glimpse into how USF hopes to spruce up athletic facilities, and why USF decided to partner with Forum Communications — which owns Sioux Falls Live and oversees Happy Hour with John Gaskins — to bring Cougar home football and basketball games to the brand new Midwest Sports+ app.

Hart also delivers his assessment of Glogowski and both 17-year head basketball coaches Chris Johnson and Travis Traphagen. Also, a tribute to 27-year Voice of the Coo Tom Frederick, who joined Happy Hour last week and announced he'll be back on the mic for USF football games this autumn but is stepping away from calling both men's and women's basketball. Gaskins will take over the USF hoops role and call all men's and women's home games.

Death. Taxes. A winning season for University of Sioux Falls football.

These are some of the inevitable truths about life, at least the last 30 years, during which USF has only had one non-winning record. That was two years ago in the first season of current coach Jim Glogowski, whose second squad last season turned the 3-8 record upside down to 8-3. The 2025 squad is picked to finish fifth out of 14 teams and kicks off the season at Black Hills State on Thursday.

With a new season comes renewed excitement at USF, whose football tradition no doubt owns a lion's share of the school's identity and brand for the last three decades. 

But a couple components of that brand received a shake-up over the summer. The Coo has a brand new logo and a new apparel deal with Nike after years with Under Armour. It is part of a second year athletic director Jon Hart's larger vision of keeping the small, private school competitive and on the cutting edge in a Div. II and Northern Sun conference landscape full of copmetitors with much larger enrollments and athletic budgets.

In a 40-minute sit-down with Happy Hour host John Gaskins, Hart dives into that vision, which includes the navigation of NIL deals. Yes, they exist in D2, as well. Hart also gives a glimpse into how USF hopes to spruce up athletic facilities, and why USF decided to parter with Forum Communications — which owns Sioux Falls Live and oversees Happy Hour with John Gaskins — to bring Cougar home football and basketball games to the brand new Midwest Sports+ app.

Hart also delivers his assessment of Glogowski and both 17-year head basketball coaches Chris Johnson and Travis Traphagen. Also, a tribute to 27-year Voice of the Coo Tom Frederick, who joined Happy Hour last week and announced he'll be back on the mic for USF football games this autumn but is stepping away from calling both men's and women's basketball. Gaskins will take over the USF hoops roll and call all men's and women's home games.