Missouri opens its season this week facing South Dakota. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with a South Dakota-Missouri prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

South Dakota struggled last year at the FCS level. They went 3-8 on the season but did have an upset of Southern Illinois in October. Often, the offense struggles. They were held below 20 points seven times last year, losing each one of those games. This is a run-first type of offense, focused on the power run game. However, when they moved to let some more passing happen last year, there was success. The Coyotes won two of their last five games led by quarterback Aidan Bouman. The defense is also focused on the run. They stop the run first and make teams pass. Last year, the pass worked on them, but they have revamped the defense to slow that down this season.

Missouri comes into the year after a 6-7 season in which they won their last two games to make a bowl but lost to Wake Forest in the bowl game. This year, they brought in a new offensive coordinator to open up the passing game. Kirby Moore led the Fresno State offense and Jake Haener, one of the nation’s most efficient quarterbacks. They bring back a solid receiving core as well to help that out. The defense comes back loaded with veteran players. They have a solid secondary and a pass rush that can get to the quarterback with ease. That should be the hallmark of this Tigers team.

Here are the college football odds, courtesy of BetRivers.

College Football Odds: South Dakota-Missouri Odds

South Dakota: +28.5 (-113)

Missouri: -28.5 (-108)

Over: 43 (-112)

Under: 43 (-109)

How to Watch South Dakota vs. Missouri

TV: SEC Network

Stream: FuboTV

Time: 8:00 PM ET/ 5:00 PM PT

*Watch college football LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why South Dakota Will Cover The Spread

If South Dakota is going to cover in this game, it has to start with Aidan Bouman. Originally a commit to Iowa State, Bouman could not find the field there and transferred to South Dakota. There, he rode the bench, to begin with, but when they made a move at quarterback, it worked. Bouman would start the last five games of the year going 80-132 passing for 892 yards. He would throw eight touchdowns and rush two more in while only throwing one interception. As a three-star recruit out of high school, Bouman has a big arm that can push the ball downfield. He will overshoot at times, but if Missouri does not have tight coverage, he will make them pay.

Travis Theis is also back, and he will need to run well to keep South Dakota in this game. He is a shorter, but powerful running back. Last year he ran for nearly five years per carry while rushing for 774 yards and five scores. He is also good out of the backfield. He had 25 receptions last year, which was good for second on the team. The Coyotes will split carries some, but only he and Shomari Lawrence had more than five rushes last year. Lawrence is gone, so it will be up to a young player to step up into this role.

The defense could be something to watch. The defense returns most of its starters and was one of the best in FCS on the ground last year. They allowed just 115 yards per game on the ground last year. All of their top tacklers are back from last year, and all of them were linebackers and safeties. They can get to the line of scrimmage quickly, and tackle well going downfield. The issue could be the play-action though. The secondary and limebacking core is very aggressive. If they get caught on a play-action, it can be as easy a touchdown over the top.

Why Missouri Will Cover The Spread

Missouri has not named a starting quarterback yet for this game, and it is most likely that two of them will see time. Brady Cook is the incumbent starter for the team. He was inefficient at times last year. On the season he threw for 2,739 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also ran in six scores and threw seven interceptions. Still, six of his passing touchdowns came against sub-par opponents in New Mexico State and Abilene Christian. He did have a good game against Tennessee, throwing three touchdowns, but the defense could not hold down the high-flying Volunteers.

Jake Garcia transfers in from Miami to give competition. Garcia was a highly touted recruit who struggled at Miami. Still, last year, when given chances, he had some solid games. He threw for 803 yards last year and five touchdowns. Garcia did throw four interceptions though. He also had some major accuracy issues last year. Against a poor Virginia defense, he completed under 50 percent of his passes.

At wide receiver, there is a trio of solid guys to throw to. Luther Burden comes back and he had a solid year last year. He caught 45 balls for 375 yards and six scores, while also running two in. He is a speedy wideout who can make big plays and get over the top. Burden came on strong at the end of last year and will be looking to continue that. Mookie Cooper gives Missouri a fast deep threat as well. Most of his receptions last year were big plays, as he went for 298 yards on 26 catches. He did not find the end zone last year, and that will need to change this year. With Missouri also bringing in the transfer, Theo Wease, from Oklahoma, the offense should have some good firepower.

Final South Dakota-Missouri Prediction & Pick

This game has two key factors. First, can South Dakota score against a solid Missouri defense? They did not do a lot of that last year, but with many young players from last year returning, that could happen more often this year. Second, can South Dakota slow down Missouri? With the Tigers installing a new offense, there will be bumps in the road, but they will be pass-heavy in this game. They want to see which of their two quarterbacks is right for this new offense, and with how South Dakota is against the pass, they will score a lot. Expect a high-scoring game and Missouri to cover.

Final South Dakota-Missouri Prediction & Pick: Missouri -28.5 (-108)