PFB Picks: Predictions for Oklahoma State’s Season-Opening Game against South Dakota State

For the first time in 2024, the Oklahoma State Cowboys are playing a football game.

OSU hosts back-to-back FCS champion South Dakota State at 1 p.m. Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. The Cowboys have extremely high expectations heading into this season, but their primer against an FCS school is against a team that hasn’t lost since its 2022 season opener.

This is how the PFB staff sees OSU’s season opener going.

Marshall Scott

Score: Oklahoma State 35, South Dakota State 24

Game MVP: Ollie Gordon

Uniform: White (brand)-orange-white

Thoughts: I felt better about this for the Pokes’ game before watching Colorado struggle to the final seconds against North Dakota State on Thursday night. This South Dakota State team is supposed to be better than the ones the Buffaloes faced. But, I also think this Oklahoma State team is better than Prime’s squad right now. In the end, I think it will come down to OSU’s offensive line just being better than the Jackrabbits’ defensive line. South Dakota State is replacing a lot from last season, whereas the Cowboys are returning so much. For that reason, I think the Cowboys take advantage of the Jackrabbits working through some things. Still, I expect this to be a game going into the fourth quarter, but that O-line and Ollie Gordon will be too much for South Dakota State this early in the season.

Kyle Cox

Score: Oklahoma State 38, South Dakota State 27

Game MVP: Alan Bowman

Uniform: Orange (brand)-orange-orange

Thoughts: I think the Cowboys weather an early scare and take a multi-score lead into the first half before the Jackrabbits make it more than interesting in the second. OSU almost wins with a little comfort before a backdoor SDSU touchdown makes it look even closer. I tabbed Bowman as my MVP not only to give us something else to talk about. I think Mike Gundy is bent on limiting Ollie Gordon’s carries when he can and as long as the passing game is cooking, and I’m predicting it will, he spreads the rock around to the likes of Sesi Vaihali and Trent Howland.

Dekota Gregory

Score: Oklahoma State 38, South Dakota State 27

Game MVP: Ollie Gordon

Uniform: Orange (brand)-orange-white

Thoughts: Hype and expectations get to some people. But Ollie Gordon, I don’t truly believe, is human. He will thrive on the hype that’s surrounded him all offseason, especially for the season opener. This game will have OSU fans sweating (and not just because of the afternoon heat) almost all game. It’ll be hotter than the Jackrabbits are used to, OSU is just flat out deeper as a top FBS program and Ollie Gordon always gets stronger as the game goes on. My game MVP makes the ending of this one more comfortable than the first three quarters as he has a monstrous late drive to put the Pokes up two scores late.