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 it translates 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 most 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?

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