The South Dakota State Jackrabbits visit the Oklahoma State Cowboys Saturday in the 1st week of the 2024 college football season. Kickoff from Boone Pickens Stadium is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the South Dakota State vs. Oklahoma State odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.

South Dakota finished 15-0 last season atop the Missouri Valley Conference and won the FCS National Title. In had just 2 games decided by fewer than 10 points.

Oklahoma State finished 10-4 last season including 7-2 in the Big 12, good for 2nd overall behind the Texas Longhorns, who it fell to in the Big 12 Championship game. It topped off its season with a 31-23 win over Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl.

Oklahoma State is No. 18 in the US LBM Coaches Poll — conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports.

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South Dakota State at Oklahoma State odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 2:33 p.m. ET.

• Moneyline (ML): South Dakota State +285 (bet $100 to win $285) | Oklahoma State -365 (bet $365 to win $100)
• Against the spread (ATS): South Dakota State +9.5 (+100) | Oklahoma State -9.5 (-120)
• Over/Under (O/U): 54.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

South Dakota State at Oklahoma State picks and predictions

Prediction

Oklahoma State 38, South Dakota State 20

Moneyline

PASS.

There is no value on Oklahoma State (-365) to take down the Jackrabbits (+285) on opening day.

Against the spread

BET OKLAHOMA STATE -9.5 (-120).

While South Dakota State is the top FCS school in the nation currently and is returning QB Mark Gronowski, it will be unable to compete against an Oklahoma State team that fell just 4 times last season. In front of its home crowd, expect the Cowboys to dominate on both ends of the ball. A quick start for the Cowboys is all it will take to bury the Jackrabbits.

Over/Under

LEAN OVER 54.5 (-110).

While the Cowboys will be expected to dominate on Saturday and will be forced to carry a majority of the load, South Dakota State is capable of finding the end zone. Gronowski is a dual-threat QB which will open up opportunities for his squad to score. The total may come down to garbage time, but both teams are more than able to reach it.

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Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes kick off their 2024 football season with a Thursday night home matchup against North Dakota State. The game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET with TV coverage on ESPN and streaming on-demand.

• Watch: Live streams of the Colorado vs. North Dakota State football game are available with offers from FuboTV (free trial), SlingTV (low intro rate) and DirecTV Stream (free trial).

North Dakota State Bison (0-0) at Colorado Buffaloes (0-0)

NCAA football matchup at a glance

When: Thursday, Aug. 29 at 8 p.m. ET (6 p.m. MT)

Where: Folsom Field, Boulder, Colo.

TV channel: ESPN

Live streams: FuboTV (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate) | DirecTV Stream (free trial)

Colorado surged early in the 2023 season with three straight wins over TCU (45-42), Nebraska (36-14) and Colorado State (43-35 OT) and fizzled late with six straight losses to finish Sanders’ tumultuous first season in Boulder with a 4-8 record. The nation’s 16th-best passing offense does return star quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way standout Travis Hunter as the Buffaloes transition from the Pac-12 to Big 12 with pressure and hope and attention. Colorado is an imperfect team with high roster turnover and major questions, but should also be a constant source of entertainment and occasional brilliance.

How to watch Colorado vs. North Dakota State live: FuboTV (free trial) | DirecTV Stream (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate)

North Dakota State remains an FCS powerhouse and comes off an 11-4 season that ended with a 31-29 double-overtime loss to Montana State in the FCS Championship Game. The Bison are more established in areas where the Buffaloes could be vulnerable, namely in the trenches, but also faces the tall task of trying to slow down Shedeur Sanders, Hunter and company from throwing it around the field. The clash of styles could mean an onslaught of points on Thursday night.

The Buffaloes and Bison are set for an 8 p.m. ET (6 p.m. MT) start on ESPN. Live streams are available from FuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial) and SlingTV (low intro rate).

Tornadic winds knocked nearly four dozen train cars off a track in North Dakota, part of a storm system that spurred reports of five tornadoes across the Dakotas.

BNSF Railway spokesperson Kendall Sloan said a train was stopped due to a tornado warning Wednesday night near the town of Steele, North Dakota, when high winds caused 43 empty coal cars to derail.

No one was hurt, and no hazardous materials were in the cars, Sloan said in an email. BNSF cleanup crews were at the site on Thursday.

The National Weather Service in Bismarck, North Dakota, confirmed on Thursday that a tornado touched down near Steele around 8 p.m. Wednesday. The agency said another tornado touched down at 5:40 p.m. Wednesday southwest of Selfridge, North Dakota, on the Standing Rock Tribal Nation.

The weather service said three potential tornadoes also were reported in north-central South Dakota on Wednesday night. No injuries were reported. Survey crews were still working to confirm in damage in South Dakota was from tornadoes.

While bad weather was generally moving out of the Dakotas, severe thunderstorms were possible Thursday in Minnesota and parts of Iowa and Wisconsin, the weather service said.