If you win, they will come. Coming off one of its most successful seasons since joining the Div. 1-AA ranks in 1993, the Sacramento State football team now has to deal with higher expectations and more intense media coverage.

Yes, media coverage. The team has been referred to as “the only game in town” in recent advertisements and has gained more significant coverage from the only newspaper in town. Have you seen it?

Bee staff writer Joe Davidson has blessed us with inches upon inches of Hornet football coverage.

All aboard the Hornet football bandwagon ? yes there is room for you too, The Sacramento Bee (better late than never). Even the likes of columnist Ailene Voisin has been spotted bumping around campus reporting on the Hornet?s backfield and its daunting task of replacing recently departed Charles Roberts.

The Hornets come into this season with a preseason top 25 ranking in some polls (ranking 23rd in Don Hansen?s Football Gazette and 24th in Lindy?s magazine) for the first time in school history.

The Sporting News Preseason Poll, which ranks teams by their cumulative average in other polls, has them 30th overall in the country. The Hornet hype doesn?t end in print. UPN-31 KMAX is set to televise three games this year, with the Fox Sports Network slated to televise one.

It?s amazing what a 7-4 record will do for a program.

So what does Joe Davidson have to say about this increased coverage? Apparently nothing, since the man in the limelight did not return calls (probably hard at work on his next huge Hornet feature).

Though The Bee has covered Hornet athletics in the past, nothing has come close to the amount of attention given this past August, and hopefully what is in store this year and next. Could this possibly be because of a switch in staff writers?

You see, Davidson hasn?t always had the Sac State beat; it used to be covered by a gentleman by the name of Quwan Spears, who in this reporter?s opinion put in a half-hearted effort compared to Davidson?s blitzkrieg of coverage.

So the big question is: Has all this ink impacted ticket sales? According to David Gull at the Sac State Athletic Ticket Office, it is still too early to tell if increased coverage has translated into increased ticket revenue.

But it?s not too early to tell that this season is huge for the program, as far as recruiting and prestige in the college football world.

Coming off a year that saw such stars as the aforementioned Roberts, quarterback Ricky Ray and standout linebacker Anthony Daisley move on to pro careers, it?s imperative that coach John Volek and the program build on the blocks of success that were laid down last year.

Let?s hope that Bees and Hornets can continue this harmonious relationship.

Damian Lima can be reached at [email protected]