It’s that time again! Come Saturday, the Falcon football team will open up their 2004 campaign in defense of their first MAC West Championship (they’ve only been in the west since 2002). However, there is a special meaning to this opener. For the past two years, the Falcons have opened the season at home against division 1-AA teams that couldn’t put up much of a fight. This year, not only do we start out on the road, but in Norman, Oklahoma of all places. You know, home to the #2 ranked college football team in the country!The Oklahoma Sooners, coming off a 12-2 season in which they contended for a national championship all year long only to lose to eventual co-national champion LSU, 21-14, in the Nokia Sugar Bowl (BCS National Championship Game).The only reason the Falcons haven’t been compared to a team like the Sooners is their conference’s status in the lexicon that is college football. The MAC is just beginning to come into its own as a legitimate football power, while the BIG 12, along with the other so-called “BCS” conferences, have dominated the nation for many years now. The fact is BG went 11-3 in 2003, only one game worse than Oklahoma, and won their first Motor City Bowl. It isn’t exactly the national championship game, but for now it’s the best we can do.My overall point actually has nothing to do with competition between the fanfare of these two schools (which Oklahoma would win, obviously). The main focus here is Saturday’s nationally televised game. The line in Las Vegas has the Sooners by 32 1/2. This I expected. However, I can personally guarantee that this game will be just that, a game. The final score should be closer that most of the nation is anticipating. Sure, it could be a tad lopsided, but look at the statistics before concluding that BG keeled over and died.I understand that this squad does not have Josh Harris. In my opinion, the new quarterback, red shirt-sophomore Omar Jacobs will be better than Harris by the time he graduates. His first test will no doubt be a daunting task. The Falcons have never played an opponent ranked this high before. Besides that, no BG quarterback has ever made his debut on national television, but if Jacobs is the true competitor I know he can be, then he will thrive on this great opportunity. With all that said, get yourself ready for a game in every sense of the word this weekend.