THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK FOOTBALL 
Peacock fans, wait no longer. Upper Iowa football opens its season on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 12 p.m. (CT) in Indianapolis, Ind.  head-UIU goes head-to-head with Butler University at the Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl, facing a Division I opponent for the first time in 16 years. Their last high-caliber affair was against in-state opponent Drake in 2008.

LIVE OPTIONS
Fans unable to travel to Indianapolis this weekend for Saturday's game can stay connected with a pair of live options at UIUPeacocks.com/Live, with access to live stats and a pay-per-view webcast through FloFootball. Fans can also refer to the links attached with this story for live options. 
 
TEAM PERSONNEL 
Upper Iowa has named five captains for this season: Tyler Owen, Zacarius Murray, Rhett Smith, Darryl Overstreet Jr. and Connor Andresen
 
Additionally, for the second consecutive year, the Madison, Wis, native Tyler Owen is Upper Iowa football's Ultimate Peacock. 
 
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Last fall, UIU saw its most wins in a season since 2018 after going 3-8 behind two non-conference wins and one league victory over Southwest Baptist (35-13). The Peacocks will continue building their foundation this season, anticipating new heights as they return 19 starters from last season. 
 
Upper Iowa's returning group is highlighted by tight end Eddie Burgess, who was named GLVC First Team, D2CCA All-Super Region 3 Second Team and Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-America Honorable Mention following his sophomore season in 2023. He is joined back in Fayette with GLVC First Team member Mante Morrow, Second Team honorees Tyler Nielsen, Willy Camacho and Zacarius Murray, and Honorable Mention nod Darryl Overstreet Jr.
 
THE OPPOSITION (Butler Communications)
Butler University competes in the Pioneer Football League and has posted a 7-4 record in each of the last two seasons under the tutelage of head coach Mike Uremovich. Butler was picked to finish fourth in the PFL Preseason Poll, but the team is trending in the right direction, with three of last year's four losses coming to the top three teams in the league standings. Each PFL loss came down to the wire and was a one-possession game. The three losses came by a combined total of just 13 points. 
 
Several weeks ago, Butler football received votes in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, the only Pioneer Football League team to do so.
 
Over the off-season, Butler added 45 newcomers to the 2024 roster. Incoming transfers arrived on campus from Ball State, Dartmouth, Elon, Georgetown, Illinois State, Mercer, Missouri Southern State, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois, and Wabash.
 
The Bulldogs return five starters from last year's defensive unit that led the PFL and ranked second in the FCS in red zone defense. BU also ranked seventh in the nation in scoring defense (17.5).
 
GLVC PRESEASON POLL
Upper Iowa football landed seventh in the GLVC Preseasoni Coaches' Poll after accumulating 25 votes. They edged out William Jewell, who was voted eighth with 14 votes, and GLVC newcomer Lincoln, who rounded out the poll in ninth with 13. The Peacocks trailed close behind Quincy in sixth (29 votes) and Southwest Baptist in fifth (33 votes). 
 
"We're excited about our second year in the GLVC," said Head Coach Jason Hoskins. "We know the landscape a little bit better and are preparing to compete in the league."
 
The University of Indianapolis was voted the unanimous choice to win the 2024 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) football title in the coaches' preseason poll. The preseason poll is selected by the league's nine head coaches, who are not permitted to vote for their team, per GLVC Bylaws.
 
2024 GLVC FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL

Place	School	Points (first-place votes)
1.	Indianapolis	64 (8)
2.	Truman State	55 (1)
3.	McKendree	51
4.	Missouri S&T	40
5.	Southwest Baptist	33
6.	Quincy	29
7.	Upper Iowa	25
8.	William Jewell	14
9.	Lincoln	13

 
NOTABLE DATES 
Below are some notable upcoming dates in Peacock football 

• Sep. 7- Home opener vs. Concordia, St. Paul at 6 p.m.
  • Watermelon Days/Concert & Fireworks 
• Sep. 21- First conference game vs. Southwest Baptist at 1 p.m. (in Bolivar, Mo. )
• Oct. 5- First home conference contest vs. Truman State

UP NEXT
Upper Iowa has its home opener against Concordia, St. Paul on Saturday, Sep. 7 at 6 p.m. at Harms-Eisheid Stadium.