By Gary Dickson garydickson@siouxlandobserver.com

Oh, the color, the excitement, the pomp of Division I college football! On ESPN’s College GameDay. And in the USD Dakota Dome in Vermillion! Maybe. That’s what a dispatch from our friends at Sioux Falls television station Keloland excitedly reported online yesterday.

The 5-1 University of South Dakota Coyotes will take on the 6-0 South Dakota State University Jackrabbits on Oct. 28.

“Both teams are currently 3-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference, and an effort is being made to draw the eye of ESPN College GameDay,” the station reported. Currently, SDSU is ranked number 1 in the NCAA Coaches FCS poll while USD is ranked #16.

A petition is circulating right now in an attempt to influence ESPN to have their popular Saturday show at the Dakota Dome.

A Change.org petition highlighting the game as having the 8th oldest rivalry in all of Division 1 football, notes that USD may climb in rankings by Oct. 28, and states that the game is already sold out. “College GameDay can’t miss out on this historic matchup of top FCS rivals. October 28, 2023, in Vermillion, South Dakota is a must-show.” The petition had 89 signatures as of 9:00 p.m. Friday night.

Betting sites currently are leaning towards larger schools to get the College GameDay treatment for that week. BetMGM has Oregon at Utah as its projected pick Oct. 28 though it notes this may not come to pass if the Ducks lose in week 8 to Washington State, considering they lost in week 7 to the University of Washington.

The Jacks are on the road in Carbondale, IL playing the Southern Illinois Salukis who are ranked number 12 in the FCS. The Coyotes are also on the road in Terra Haute, IN playing the winless Indiana State Sycamores.

It seems that right now, all Yotes and Jacks fans can do is cross their, uh, paws, and hope their teams win this weekend and Oregon loses. Or something.