IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Iowa fans who spent the last nine months listening to incessant chatter about their beloved Hawkeyes finally have something to look forward to.

Football.

No, seriously.

The Hawkeyes – fresh off an offseason dominated by discussion of the program’s off-the-field maladies and its declining performance on the field – kick off the 2008 season at home Saturday against coach Kirk Ferentz’s former employer, Maine.

For Iowa, the start of the season can’t come soon enough.

I think all of us are anxious to get started,” Ferentz said. “It will be good for a lot of people in our state just to be able to take their minds off the challenges that we’ve faced for a couple hours.”

The Hawkeyes are desperate to put forth a strong opening performance and erase the sting a loss to Western Michigan in last year’s season finale, which kept Iowa from going to a bowl.

On paper, the Hawkeyes shouldn’t have much trouble with the Black Bears, who went 4-7 last season. But then again, they weren’t supposed to have much trouble with Western Michigan, which beat Iowa 28-19 at the end of last season.

The early question marks for the Hawkeyes begin at quarterback. Junior incumbent Jake Christensen has been named the starter for Saturday’s game, but his status as Iowa’s No. 1 quarterback certainly hasn’t been written in stone.

Sophomore Ricky Stanzi made a serious push for the job, but a shoulder injury that kept him out of the start of fall practice and Christensen’s experience has kept him on the sidelines for now. Still, Ferentz said this week that there’s a “pretty good chance” both will play on Saturday – and the return of senior wide receiver Andy Brodell should help the passing game.

There’s been some shake-ups on the offensive line, which played a major role in Iowa’s anemic offensive output last season. Rob Bruggeman is now the starting center and Rafael Eubanks has been moved to left guard. He’ll likely rotate with Andy Kuempel, who’s been moved from tackle.

“It’s going to be a while. We’re getting there, but we’re not clicking yet, just quite yet,” Ferentz said of the offensive line. “But it’ll come, I think.”

The defense lost a number of key components from a unit that allowed just 18.8 points per game in 2007. But the coaching staff has expressed confidence in the newcomers they’re asking to step into bigger roles.

Sophomores Adrian Clayborn and Christian Ballard will bookend Mitch King and Matt Kroul on what’s expected to be a stellar defensive line. Junior linebacker A.J. Edds has been moved from the outside to middle linebacker, and he’ll be counted on to lead a unit full of youngsters like Jacody Coleman, Jeremiah Hunter, Pat Angerer and Jeff Tarpinian, who will be out with a hamstring injury.

The notable newcomer in the secondary is sophomore cornerback Amari Spievey, who won a starting job after spending last season at Iowa Central Community College.

Maine coach Jack Cosgrove, who served as Ferentz’s offensive coordinator in Orono from 1990-92, knows his Black Bears will enter Kinnick Stadium as heavy underdogs.

Maine brings back 14 starters on offense and defense and is picked to finish 4th in the six-team Colonial Athletic Association North. The Black Bears were fourth in the CAA in scoring defense in 2007, but averaged just 16.9 points per game on offense.

The Black Bears have beaten a Bowl Subdivision opponent on the road before, though, stunning Mississippi State 9-7 in 2004. Cosgrove says that their mindset heading into Saturday’s game will be to “wing it and hope for the best.”

“It’s a very ominous task,” Cosgrove said. “But our players are excited about the opportunity.”

The biggest challenges Iowa will face will likely come down the road, starting when they host rival Iowa State on Sept. 13. But it’s crucial for the Hawkeyes to wipe the bad taste Western Michigan left in their mouths and get back to the business of beating teams they’re expected to beat.

“If we come out, do well and take care of business and we get better than we were at this time last week, then I think it’s a win for us. Basically we just have to worry about ourselves,” Edds said.

AP-ES-08-29-08 1141EDT