Stanford will begin the 2008 college football season front and center on the national stage.

It was announced today that the Cardinal will open its season on Thursday, Aug. 28 when it takes on Pacific 10 Conference foe, Oregon State. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.

“We are thrilled to open the season with a nationally televised Thursday night ESPN game,” Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh told GoStanford.com. “The national telecast will certainly give our fans and alumni across the country a chance to watch us play.

“Additionally, the opportunity to be one of the first college football teams to kick off the 2008 season is certainly a plus for our program. We know there will be challenges hosting a weeknight home game, but we hope our fans and our community will embrace the opportunity and help set the tone for a great year of college football.”

After a 4-8 campaign this past year — which happened to see monumental wins over both USC and Cal — Stanford looks to continue the progress made under Harbaugh, now in his second year at the helm of the Cardinal football program.