It may be a little hot to think about it right now, but the university football season is just around the corner.
The Guelph Gryphons open training camp on Sunday and their first regular season game is two weeks later.
Players report to Alumni Stadium on Saturday and then 110 of them will hit the turf Sunday morning for the first four hour workout of the pre-season.
Gryphon interim head coach Kevin MacNeill said the defending OUA champions are chomping at the bit to take it one step further this year.
"There's not a lot of guys who are content with what happened last year. At the end of the day we lost our last game," said MacNeill, who takes over the head coaching reigns from Stu Lang.
"So until we don't lose our last game there's a lot of guys looking to get better," MacNeill said.
Guelph went 7-1 in the regular season last year and won two playoff games before falling to the Montreal Carabins 25-10 in the Mitchell Bowl.
As for being the defending champion and having the proverbial target on their backs heading into the season, MacNeill chuckles.
"I think we've always had a target on our backs. For a number of years," said MacNeill, whose Gryphons have had a winning season for four straight year.
"We've always focused on what we can control. We haven't put a lot of focus on everyone out there."
MacNeill said "pressure is a privilege and we just go about making sure we take care of our daily business."
The Gryphs will have to try and capture the team's first Vanier Cup since 1984 without a couple of key players that the team thought would be back this season.
Linebacker Cam Newton made the Toronto Argonauts roster and won't be back for a fifth season and the team's leading receiver last season, All-Canadian Jacob Scarfone, will miss the entire season after tearing his ACL in the summer.
"We've lost two of the best linebackers in the country and that's going to be tough to replace," the coach said.
"Losing Jacob hurts too. He was one of our top guys."
Scarfone caught a combined 77 passes for over 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns last year.
Receivers Dylan Husty and James Ingram have also graduated.
There are other key losses, most notably three of five starting offensive linemen, but MacNeill said the program has developed to the point that there are always players ready to step in.
Other than Scarfone, the skill positions on the offensive side of the ball will all be returning.
Quarterback James Roberts enters his second season as starter, wide out A'dre Fraser is back after a CFL tryout, as is kick return specialist and receiver Ryan Nieuwesteeg.
Feature running back Johnny Augustine returns after an 800-yard, 12-touchdown 2015, as does All-Canadian kicker Gabe Ferraro and All-Canadian defensive back Nick Parisotto.
On the sidelines the team has added former longtime Wilfrid Laurier head coach Gary Jeffries to the coaching staff. MacNeill played for Jeffries and got his coaching start on his Laurier staff.
Guelph opens the regular season on Sunday, Aug. 28, at home against the Toronto Varsity Blues. They also get Queen's, Western and York at home. Road games are Laurier, Windsor, McMaster and Ottawa.
They do not play Waterloo this season, Oct. 8 is a bye week and Homecoming is slated for Sept. 24 against the Western Mustangs.
