BOWLING GREEN — With a final team huddle on the logo at midfield Saturday at Doyt Perry Stadium, training camp officially ended and game preparation began for Bowling Green.

The Falcons officially entered season mode, and every ounce of readiness will be imperative as they prepare for a difficult first month of the 2018 season.

The Bowling Green schedule offers no room for trial and error. In the first month alone, BGSU will play two Power Five road games, play host to a Big Ten team, and face a critical Mid-American Conference home game.

For the third consecutive year, the Falcons’ season-opener is a challenging true road game: a cross-country trip to Oregon.

“We look at it as a tremendous opportunity,” BG coach Mike Jinks said. “A lot of these kids probably have never even seen the West Coast, so it’ll be a first for them. I know they’re excited about it. Oregon’s a team with a great tradition, but really it’s going to be no different than opening up with Ohio State or Michigan State over the last two years.

“We’re excited and we’re looking forward to it.”

In addition to playing the Ducks on Sept. 1, BGSU returns home to play host to Maryland the next week. The Falcons jump into MAC play in Week 4 against Miami — a must-win game if the Falcons hope to contend in the East Division — before going back on the road to play Georgia Tech and its bothersome option offense.

The Falcons will be clear underdogs against their power conference opponents, although they’re looking at the rigorous schedule as a chance to shine on the biggest stages.

“It’s an opportunity to show what we can do against Power Five schools,” cornerback Marcus Milton said. “We play with a little chip on our shoulders since we’re in the MAC and they’re Power Five, whatever that’s supposed to mean. It’s a little a chip on our shoulder.”

Bowling Green will have two full weeks to prepare for Oregon, a game in which the Falcons are an early 30-point underdog.

Jinks said the coaching staff likes having an extra practice week and additional meeting time before school starts, hence the end of training camp.

The Falcons’ first-teamers matched up against one another for the final time Friday before a scrimmage for the players further down the depth chart Saturday. Now that training camp is finished, Jinks said, “It’s time to get ready to win a football game.”

The BG defense still is under construction, and Jinks said the Falcons will go into the game with a scaled-down playbook. The Falcons still are implementing new defensive coordinator Carl Pelini’s system, which Jinks said is so detailed it takes time to fully master it.

“That’s a lot of learning for those guys,” Jinks said. “We’ll roll into Week 1 with what we think they have a grasp of, but at the same try to get them caught up and get it installed.”

The Falcons’ schedule presents an undoubtedly challenging first month, but Milton said Bowling Green takes no issue with being an underdog.

“We have no problem with being the underdogs,” Milton said. “We’ve been the underdogs our whole lives. It’s nothing new.”

Contact Nicholas Piotrowicz at: npiotrowicz@theblade.com, 419-724-6110, or on Twitter @NickPiotrowicz.

First Published August 18, 2018, 6:58 p.m.