Houchens-Smith Stadium can be a distracting place these days.

Maybe it’s because the background noise sounds more like massive road construction than the usual early August calm on the eve of a new season. Or perhaps it’s the fact that the Western Kentucky football staff and players are only “almost” moved into their new offices and locker rooms in the renovated facility.

Oh, and then there’s the tiny matter of the most daunting schedule in school history, staring the team in its collective face. All reasons to lose focus, all distractions.

But WKU football coach David Elson seems used to the distractions these days, and none seem to get under his skin. Probably because he knows one familiar thing - football - is right around the corner.

“This all feels real when you don’t have to walk to the other side (of the stadium) to get to your office anymore, and you have to park a little different, but it’s just like moving in a personal situation,” said Elson, who will lead his team onto Feix Field on Monday for the first official day of preseason camp. “There’s still some equipment being delivered in the training room, we don’t have hooks for towels in the showers yet and little things like that, but we’re getting really close to being fully operational in here.

“It’s all just part of the process.”

The Hilltoppers soon begin their second season as a full-fledged Football Bowl Subdivision member, and anticipation about the newly renovated stadium - as well as the beast of a schedule that features more FBS opponents than ever before - is starting to boil over.

WKU’s mandatory once-a-day practices for the first five days of camp begin at 6 p.m. Monday. And once the first week of what the NCAA calls an “acclimatization period” ends, full-time two-a-days commence.

Despite all the change and forward thinking surrounding the team, Elson said that on Monday the Hilltoppers will have a one-track mind.

“It’s going to be a challenge, there’s no question,” Elson said. “No. 1, we can’t get all caught up and enamored and think that this building is going to beat Indiana and win us any games. It’s something we appreciate and enjoy, but at the same time we’ve got to realize that we’ve got a lot of work to do, and it’s still about people and relationships and this team coming together.

“It’s easy to get distracted on moving in and getting used to everything, but we need to be proactive and have some vision so we can be as fully operational as we possibly can.”

Elson said it will be important to quit thinking about the schedule as a whole and start thinking about things one week at a time.

“I’ll let you in on this little secret,” Elson said. “From now on, we aren’t going to be talking about anything other than preseason camp and Indiana. I sense that so many people are caught up with the BCS schools on our schedule, and our guys sense the excitement of the stadium and everything.

“And (today) I’ll let (the players) know that, we’re all about preseason camp first of all, focusing on us, getting to know the playbook and welcoming the freshmen in full-time … this is the first time we’ll all be together and this is our 105 guys that we’re going to win with in 2008. And it’s going to take work, and there’s not enough time to focus on anything else.”

Elson said that first and foremost, the early focus will be on jelling as a team. He said there will be slight preparation for the season opener at Indiana on Aug. 30, but the real prep won’t come until the game is directly in view.

“It’s really about teaching our fundamental techniques and schemes, installing our offense, defense and special teams,” Elson said. “You’re sort of starting from scratch when it comes to teaching those fundamentals, and we’ll carry some of the stuff over from the spring, but the younger guys have to get caught up to speed.

“For us right now, it’s a matter of a lot of teaching, coaching, getting used to that playbook and getting everyone used to those concepts.”

For the moment, Elson said the entire program is bursting at the seams with anticipation and excitement.

“I’ve had that feeling for about a week now,” he said. “It’s a good feeling to be getting back at it, and every year that (anticipation) feeling comes about a week or two before you get started.”

And while “chaotic” has been the offseason theme for this year’s team, the Hilltoppers understand the hectic surroundings only mean that FBS football is closer to becoming reality.

“This year’s a little bit different because of all this chaos around,” he said, “but it’s much welcomed chaos.”