The Drake football team thought its season was over with when the team gathered for its usual end-of-the-season meeting at Olin Hall on Monday, Nov. 19. But it was there that the six captains of the Bulldogs' team talked to their teammates about an opportunity that could be present itself in the form of a game against the Iowa State Cyclones.

For about 10 minutes, they painted the picture of what it might be like to play in front of thousands in Ames' Jack Trice Stadium. The six then put it to a vote, asking anyone who was willing to do it to put their hand in the air.

Right away, everyone on the team raised a hand.

“This game is about so much more than just winning,” said Drake captain and defensive lineman Nathan Clayberg. “Sure, we’re going to go out and try to win. But this is a historic moment — Drake and Iowa State haven’t played since 1985; it’s very likely that they’ll never play again. Even more so, Drake’s getting to play an FBS team in an FBS stadium — what a special way to go out.”

Saturday's game between Drake and Iowa State has been in the works for a while now. Iowa State first went looking for another opponent when its season opener against South Dakota State was canceled. The Cyclones wanted to line up Drake, but the NCAA wouldn’t approve a waiver allowing a victory over the Bulldogs to count toward Iowa State’s bowl eligibility. So the Cyclones schedule a Dec. 1 game against Incarnate Word, instead.

► Previously from Randy Peterson:Inside Iowa State's frenzied search for a 12th opponent, according to Jamie Pollard

After Incarnate Word made the FCS playoffs, leaving Saturday’s game up in the air, the Cyclones went looking for a new opponent. Because the Cyclones had already earned their bowl eligibility, a game against Drake was suddenly back in play. The only problem: Drake had already wrapped up its season on Nov. 17 at Morehead State — the Bulldogs had already said their goodbyes and started moving on from the season.

So, two days after the regular season finale, Drake coach Rick Fox met with his six captains to see if the team might be willing to add another game. The six were game, but they would have to meet with the team. The captains, along with Fox and Drake athletic director Brian Hardin, agreed that everyone on the team had to be on board. So, after the Fox and Hardin spoke to the team that Monday, they walked out of the room and let the captains go over the options with the team.

► PREVIOUSLY: How the Drake/Iowa State game came together so quickly

"It had just been such an emotional end to the season, so people were like, 'Gosh, can we get all geared up for another game'," Clayberg said. “But then we started painting the picture of what this game will be. It’s, like, go up to Jack Trice, play an FBS team, be in front of however many thousands of people and play one more time... You could kind of just see people’s faces in the crowd — they were kind of like picturing it; smiles started to creep on their face.”

The game's announcement brought a barrage of criticism. Were the Cyclones, a Power 5 school, really going to play the Bulldogs, an FCS, non-scholarship team that’s part of the Pioneer Football League? You bet. For Iowa State, it’s a chance to get in another game and possibly develop some young talent. For Drake, Fox said it’s not only one last shot to play together but will help instill life lessons into his players along the way.

“To be in that environment, to have that experience, to go against an opponent like that — that challenge is going to stretch them and grow them, and that’s ultimately what I want to see out of the game,” Fox said. “I also hope it’s a great memory for our guys — I think that’s part of it — and a great experience for our two institutions.”

That’s why the Bulldogs jumped at the opportunity — they knew it may not come around again. Ever.

“One of the other captains, (quarterback Grant) Kraemer, mentioned this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and if we look at this five years from now and didn’t play this game, we’d just hate ourselves for it,” said Drake captain tight end Cole Neary. “We shared all of our feelings about the game to the team and they were on board right away.”

And so the Bulldogs leaped at the opportunity to play Iowa State despite being massive underdogs. Officially, Iowa State is a 42-point favorite. Clayberg said he understands why no one is willing to give his team a shot at winning Saturday’s game. But the Bulldogs do have plenty of talent, too, with a team full of players who turned down opportunities at scholarships at other schools to pursue an education at Drake and to play football for another few years on the side. Fox said a 2012 poll of the team even showed that two-thirds of the team had done just that.

Even Clayberg, the PFL’s Defensive Player of the Year, had a chance to walk on at Iowa State.

“We know how good Iowa State’s going to be,” Clayberg said. “But we’re Division I football players, too. It’s not like we’re just a bunch of nerds running out there to play football. It’s going to be a fun game.”