Hey, football fans. Do you feel that? 

That’s overwhelming excitement that comes with knowing that six long months after the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead against the Patriots in the Super Bowl, and seven months since Clemson shocked the Southeastern Conference world by defeating the dynasty that is Alabama in a thrilling national championship game, we don’t have to wait much longer. 

Football season is upon us, and this weekend, fans will get a chance to watch Stanford take on Rice in Sydney, Australia, see South Florida travel across the country to play San Jose State and even get a glimpse of LSU’s first opponent BYU as the Cougars host Portland State. 

OK, admittedly that’s not he most exciting lineup of games for college football’s first weekend, but it’s football. And hey, as an added bonus, ESPNU will air defending Southland Conference champion Sam Houston State Sunday against Richmond in a game that will showcase the start of the Football Championship Subdivision season. 

And with all those early games out of the way, things will finally get back to normal as the McNeese State football team travels to Thibodaux next weekend to take on Nich … wait, the game’s on Thursday?

Oh, then the game must be televised on ESPN … 3? Online? They moved a game up two days to play a game that will be aired exclusively on the internet. 

OK, let me start over: the McNeese State football team will open its season on the road against Nicholls State a week from now in a game that will be available to anyone who has access to ESPN’s online network. That pretty much covers it. Why the Cowboys and Colonels are playing on a Thursday evening — and not in front of a national or regional audience — instead of on a typical Saturday is still a mystery. 

McNeese head coach Lance Guidry said the decision was made by the Nicholls State administration in an attempt to get more fans and students in the stadium. 

I can’t really blame them considering the noticeable drop in attendance at schools throughout the country since the dawn of giant cable sports packages that allow fans to watch virtually any football game in the country with the touch of a button. 

If anything, that’s a good thing for the Cowboys, who collectively said they can’t wait to hit some athletes not decked out in blue and gold. For that team to be a conference opponent makes things even more fun for the hungry crew. 

“I’m just tired of playing against my own defense every day,” said starting quarterback James Tabary after the Cowboys’ fall camp-ending scrimmage. “Now we get a chance to see what we look like against somebody else. I’m excited.”

So what can McNeese fans expect to see if they travel to Thibodaux or tune in to watch the Cowboys on their streaming devices next Thursday night?

If you believe the coaching staff, and everything goes right, McNeese will exhibit a high-powered offense but with a bit more balance with emphasis on the running game, and a defense that should remind fans why the Cowboys call themselves “Defense With Attitude.”

Last season McNeese entered the season with high expectations after winning am SLC championship with a relatively young squad, but ended up finishing the season 6-5 without a trip to the playoffs. 

But the Cowboys’ expectations of themselves are just as high as the ones they set last year, if not higher. 

Ask any McNeese football player what he wants to accomplish this season and he will without hesitation tell you he wants to win a national championship. 

They have the confidence, now we just have to find out if they have the ability. I’m just glad we only have to wait one more week before we begin finding out.

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Tyler Nunez covers McNeese State athletics. Email him at tnunez@americanpress.com