Building the Ultimate South Dakota College Football Schedule

Let’s be honest, we are very lucky to have such great football programs so close to us here in the Sioux Empire. Augustana, USF, USD, and South Dakota State are all within an hours drive, and it’s time to lay out the ultimate schedule this Fall for viewing (and possibly attending) the best possible game each and every week.

If you’re a College Football super fan, you may want to undertake this schedule this Fall.

Take it from me, there are a ton of great games each and every week that concern our four area schools.

I picked games based on watch-ability and intrigue, and there were a ton to choose from. Here’s what I think is the best game of each week concerning our area programs to consume this football season (all times Central):

Week 1

Thursday, September 1^st – USF @ Minnesota State-Moorhead - 6:00 pm

Saturday, September 3^rd – South Dakota State @ Iowa - 11:00 am

Week 2

Saturday, September 10^th – Bemidji State @ Augustana - 1:00 pm

Week 3

Saturday, September 17^th – Cal Poly @ USD - 1:00 pm

Week 4

Saturday, September 24^th – Minnesota Duluth @ USF - 1:00 pm

Week 5

Saturday, October 1^st – USF @ Augustana - 1:00 pm

Week 6

Saturday, October 8^th – USD @ South Dakota State - 2:00 pm

Week 7

Saturday, October 15^th – South Dakota State @ North Dakota State - 2:30 pm

Week 8

Saturday, October 22^nd – Minnesota State-Mankato @ Augustana - 1:00 pm

Week 9

Saturday, October 29^th – Indiana State @ South Dakota State - 2:00 pm

Week 10

Saturday, November 5^th – Missouri State @ USD - 1:00 pm

Week 11

Saturday, November 12^th – Illinois State @ South Dakota State - 2:00 pm

Week 12

Saturday, November 19^th – UNI @ USD - 1:00 pm

There you have it. As a football fan and a free agent in terms of allegiance in the South Dakota college football scene, that’s my view of the best game each and every week.

For more on each team’s schedules this Fall, visit their official sites below.

Official Sites/Sources: GoJacks, GoYotes, GoAugie and USFCougars

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Know Your South Dakota College and University Mascots

The college football experience is an ultimate high for football fans and it takes several other teams to make that happen week after week during the season.

Just think about what goes into gameday? First and foremost, the players and coaching staff who put in hours and hours of practice and training to play in front of their fans. Then there's field prep, game officials, live broadcasts, concessions, and on-the-field entertainment. Yep, entertainment.

Second to the game, who do you watch? The cheerleaders? The band at halftime? What about the mascot? That's a job not many people can do.

I asked Sioux Falls native and former Cagey mascot for the Sioux Falls Canaries and Little Red & Herbie for the Nebraska Huskers Nate Welch about being a mascot:

What does it take to be a mascot?
"Losing a bet or filling an opportunity!" Welch says, "An internal energized desire to love life. After meeting great performers who are introverts out of costume, they become the center of attention when they take the stage. And also feeding off the performance of others."
Why does the mascot never talk?
"Know your role and shut your mouth. You are there to entertain. Tell the story with your actions and not your voice."
Advice to someone putting on that costume for the first time?
"Remember you are now in a costume. Have fun. Otherwise, you're just a dork in tights. If the fur ain't flying you ain't trying."

Nate Welch has moved on from his days as a mascot to Executive Director of the Vermillion Area Chamber of Commerce and Development Company in Vermillion, South Dakota.

So, can you name the mascots at our South Dakota Colleges and Universities? Check out the gallery below:

Source: Building the Ultimate South Dakota College Football Viewing Schedule This Fall