Week 1 of the college football season is here. Oklahoma State plays South Dakota State, and Heartland College Sports has your game prediction, preview, and betting odds ahead of the matchup.
GAME INFO
Saturday, August 31; 1:00 p.m. (CT); Boone Pickens Stadium; Stillwater, OK
TV: ESPN+
Oklahoma State vs. SDST betting odds: Oklahoma State (-10); O/U (53.5)
ESPN Matchup Predictor: Oklahoma State (88.4%)
Records: No. 17 Oklahoma State (0-0), South Dakota State (0-0)
Last Week: N/A
Series History: First-ever meeting
Last Meeting: N/A
Fun Fact: Heading into his 20th season as the head coach at Oklahoma State, Mike Gundy is 15-0 against FCS teams.
KEY PLAYERS
South Dakota State Jackrabbits
OFFENSIVE PLAYER
QB Mark Gronowski: The reigning Walter Payton Award winner (FCS Heisman Trophy) returns for the Jackrabbits after throwing for 3,058 yards, rushing for 402 yards and 37 total touchdowns a season ago. Listed at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, Gronowski represents an early season test for a Cowboys’ defense that will need to be strong against dual-threat signal-callers if they hope to make it to the Big 12 title game this year.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER
LB Adam Bock: Considered by nearly everyone as the top defender in the Missouri Valley Conference, Bock is the heart and soul of the Jackrabbits’ defense. Bock is heading into his sixth season with the program and has been dominant for SDST in his time there, with 344 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, and 10.5 sacks. The Jackrabbits’ defense is full of difference-makers, but Bock is where it all starts.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
OFFENSIVE PLAYER
RB Ollie Gordon: It was a busy offseason for the Pokes’ starting running back, but everyone in college football is going to forget that when he hits the field on Saturday. Ollie Gordon is the best running back in the country, and if the Cowboys are going to get back to the Big 12 Championship game this season, he’ll have to be incredible once again. The Pokes return virtually everyone on the offensive side of the ball, but none of them are more critical than Gordon.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER
LB Nickolas Martin: He’s not getting enough credit for it yet, but Nickolas Martin is one of the very best linebackers in the country. Last season, Martin paced the Big 12 with 140 tackles — the most by a Big 12 player since 2018 — and he should have a chance to replicate those kinds of numbers again this season. He’ll have to start off hot here to get that pace going, and I believe he will.
KEY STORYLINES
South Dakota State Jackrabbits
South Dakota State hasn’t lost a game since it fell to Iowa in a 7-3 ballgame to begin the 2022 season, and since that time, they’ve captured back-to-back FCS national championships and won 29 straight games. When SDST comes to Stillwater on Saturday, it won’t have intentions of “putting up a good fight” against the Pokes — this team expects to win. With the line hovering around 10 points, it’s expected to be a close game, and there’s a good chance that they’ll have a chance to win the game if Oklahoma State can’t put them away.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Can the Pokes get off to a fast start in 2024? In 2023, they started 2-2 and dropped a game to South Alabama by a score of 33-7. If they can’t get out to a better start, the Cowboys are in for a rude awakening against the FCS champions on Saturday. The biggest challenge for OSU will be having balance offensively if teams are able to play the run well enough to force them to pass. Make no mistake — that will be the game plan for South Dakota State. Can they stop Gordon behind one of the most experienced offensive lines in college football?
PREDICTION: Oklahoma State 27, South Dakota State 23
It might not be by double digits, but I do think Oklahoma State will pick up a huge win on Saturday afternoon over one of the more dangerous opponents that the Big 12 will face in the nonconference. Some people will see the “FCS team” and expect the Pokes to roll here, but there isn’t a better program in the FCS right now than what the Jackrabbits have built in recent years. That’s not how this thing will go, and there’s a legitimate chance that SDST comes into Stillwater and gives the Cowboys the scare of a lifetime. However, in front of a home crowd on a sweltering hot August afternoon, I’ll take Mike Gundy and the Pokes in a tight ball game.
