Big Spring plays five non-district games against Snyder, Denison, Pampa, Andrews and Sweetwater, followed by five District 4-4A games with Frenship, Plainview, Abilene Cooper, San Angelo Lake View and Hereford. Last season, the Steers went 6-4 against those teams before winning two postseason games and advancing to the regional quarterfinals of the Class 4A playoffs. Everman eliminated the Steers from the postseason, but it was the furthest a Big Spring team had advanced in the playoffs since 2002.

The Steers have six home games in 2009 with four of their first five games taking place at Memorial Stadium.

After two scrimmages with Monahans (Aug. 15) in Big Spring and then in Lubbock against Lubbock High (Aug. 21), the Steers open the season at home against longtime rival Snyder Aug 28.

Two other longtime rivals — Andrews and Sweetwater — make up a part of Big Spring's non-district home schedule. The Steers face the two groups of Mustangs in back-to-back weeks.

Andrews visits Memorial Stadium first, serving as Big Spring's homecoming opponent Sept. 18. The following Friday, Sept. 25, Sweetwater comes calling.

The Steers' only road trip of the non-district season will be their longest of the season as they travel 285 miles north to meet Pampa Sept. 4.

Perhaps Big Spring's toughest challenge of the season will come from Denison, which is widely considered one of the state's Top 5 teams entering the 2009 season. Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine ranks Denison fourth in its preseason Class 4A poll.

Last year, the Steers made the more than 300-mile trip to Denison only to lose a heartbreaker to the Yellow Jackets, 44-37. The Steers led by 16 after the first quarter.

This season, it's Denison's turn to make the 300-mile trek across the state as the Yellow Jackets visit Big Spring Sept. 4.

After a bye week Oct. 2, the Steers open District 4-4A play in Wolfforth, taking on the Frenship Tigers Oct. 9. Frenship has dominated 4-4A for several years with Big Spring's last win over the Tigers coming in 1999. The Steers have never defeated Frenship in a district game.

Big Spring's second league game takes place at Memorial Stadium Oct. 16 with Plainview paying a visit. It took late-game heroics for Big Spring to win last year's matchup with the Bulldogs.

Rance Terry, who graduated in May, had a loose ball fall into his arms and he sprinted 69 yards to paydirt with 5:13 to play. Big Spring won 25-21.

Big Spring renews its rivalry with one of its newest district opponents, but also one of its oldest foes, Oct. 23 with a visit to Abilene Cooper. Cooper — one of the state's more storied programs — is playing just its second year as a 4A school after dropping from 5A in the latest realignment.

Big Spring's final home game is against San Angelo Lake View Oct. 30. In 2008, Big Spring's 42-32 victory over Lake View gave the Steers much-needed momentum heading into the final regular season game and the playoffs.

The Steers wrap up the 2009 regular season with another trip deep into the Panhandle as they visit Hereford Nov. 6. Big Spring dominated The Herd a year ago, picking off highly touted Hereford quarterback Parker Bridwell five times en route to a 31-0 victory.

Last year's 8-5 mark, after defeating Canyon and El Paso Riverside in the postseason before losing to Everman, was Big Spring's first winning record since the 2002 season.

It's a mark the Steers will be looking to improve upon in 2009.