MACON — Football season is still two months away, but gridiron fever has already kicked off.

College football coaches and players from around the state were at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday for the Peachstate Pigskin Preview, speaking to the media about their teams, opponents and the 2008 campaign, which begins Aug. 23 for many teams, including Valdosta State.

The Blazers finished 13-1 last season, culminating in their second Division II national championship in four years. Representing VSU at Tuesday’s media day was enough to get quarterbacks coach Buster Faulkner’s juices flowing.

“It’s, why I like to say, that time of year again,” Faulkner said. “We’re real excited about what we’ve got coming. We know we’ve got a challenge ahead of us. We’ve won a national championship at Valdosta State. One thing they haven’t done is win two in a row. We know we can’t win two in a row if we don’t take it one day at a time. We realize that 2007 is completely over. It’s a whole new year. It’s 2008.”

Valdosta State’s former coach was present as well. Chris Hatcher admitted his focus would soon be elsewhere.

“Today’s my last official business I have to do before I go on vacation,” Hatcher said. “I’m looking forward to vacation right now. I’ll worry more about the season after that’s over with.”

Hatcher’s attention will be set on how to improve his team after a 7-4 season a year ago. The Eagles’ four losses came by a combined 20 points.

“That’s no consolation,” Hatcher said. “I’m used to winning them all. That’s the worst season I’ve ever had as a head coach, record-wise. Before that the worst season was 8-2. I expect to win them all. So does our staff, so do our players. We were very disappointed with the outcome of the year.”

One high-profiled coach absent from Tuesday’s proceedings was Georgia Tech’s first-year coach Paul Johnson. However, his impact on the Yellow Jackets program has already been felt.

“There’s definitely a high level of expectation,” senior defensive lineman Darryl Richard said. “He wants you to compete on a high level in playing football. I think you can look forward to success, definitely, to start early and often because he won’t accept anything less than that.”

Georgia Tech finished 7-6 a year ago.

Another absentee was University of Georgia coach Mark Richt. He was in Omaha, Neb., cheering on the Georgia baseball team in the College World Series. He has already been issued a challenge from Georgia baseball standout Gordon Beckham that if they win it all, the football team must win a national title, as well. First things first, though, for the Bulldogs.

“The most important championship that we could even think about right now is the (Southeastern Conference) Eastern Division championship,” Richt said via teleconference. “That’s the goal. That’s where you’ve got to start. You win that, then you get a chance to play for the SEC championship. If you win that, we all know it could catapult you into the national championship game. The Eastern Division right now is the one thing that we’ve got to set our sights on.”

Not winning the Eastern Division last year cost Georgia a spot in the national championship game, despite an 11-2 record.