College football fans, I have some good news!

No, I didn’t save a lot of money on my car insurance.

It’s better than that: I-AA Football is back!

It has been 30 weeks and two days since James Madison’s Dukes chewed up the turf at Finley Stadium and spit out the Montana Grizzlies, to win the 2004 I-AA National Championship. But that seems like centuries ago as we find ourselves at the threshold of another run in the NCAA’s premiere football championship classification.

Summer workouts are winding down and teams will be reporting in the next couple of weeks to prepare for a season that starts in just six weeks when 25 I-AA teams take the field on Thursday, Sept. 1.

Today here in Park City, Utah, we herald “springtime” for I-AA football. The harbingers flying into town are not robin redbreasts, but student-athletes, coaches, and officials of the Big Sky Conference.

Each year in late July, the Big Sky Conference gathers to renew acquaintances and prepare for the new college football season. In a casual atmosphere, lucky media invitees get to socialize with and interview representatives of the conference and its eight member schools. An annual highlight is Commissioner Doug Fullerton’s Monday morning address on the state of the Big Sky and I-AA. This year as a bonus, future league member Northern Colorado is also represented.

The meetings are enjoyable, informative, and full of hope for the coming season. And the Big Sky is always first.

Across the country, similar congregations will follow this one over the next two weeks. That’s about the time that preseason camps start, and… the next thing you know, we’ll be back in Chattanooga on Friday, Dec. 16 for the climax of the I-AA campaign.

At least the ESPN broadcast team won’t be able to focus on Finley’s sad sod. A new artificial turf field has already been installed, thanks to the efforts of the hosts in Chattanooga.

Mapquest says it’s 1742.68 miles from Park City to Chattanooga, and if you drove straight through, you could make it in just over 25 hours. I like to take things slower, say about 21 weeks or so. This week it’s great to be surrounded by representatives of eight Big Sky teams who can’t wait to battle for a berth on Finley’s new turf.

So thanks to the Big Sky Conference, I officially declare the 2005 I-AA preseason underway!

Czar update: We just don’t talk enough anymore. So here’s what’s new with me. I’d love to hear from you, email: Czar@I-AA.com.

I’ve been preparing for the 2005 season since March, working on Lindy’s National College Football Preview coverage so that it would be available in time for summer reading. Wouldn’t you know it, but within days of going to press, three highly regarded I-AA student-athletes fell out of the picture. SLU’s Martin Hanks decided to transfer to a I-A program… Eastern Illinois’ Justin Midgett, a University of Florida transfer quarterback, didn’t make grades and is out of school… And in a very rare development in Spartanburg, Wofford lost all-SoCon running back Kevious Johnson to grades… All of this came in advance of the most recent travails at Florida A&M, with more reported violations and the dismissal of I-AA’s leading active coach, Billy Joe.

Recently, I wrapped up a I-AA preview piece for USA Today Sports Weekly’s college football preview edition. It should be in newsstands in the next couple of weeks.

I’ve also been favored to provide background information and advice for reporters covering a football initiative and a possible football initiative at Old Dominion and Georgia State, respectively. Additionally, the premium daily information service, CFAA-Elite-Clips is more popular than ever with the most significant growth coming among I-A constituents, especially in the BCS leagues.