STILLWATER — Oklahoma State’s much-anticipated season opener for the 2024 college football season inches closer and closer.
The 18th-ranked Cowboys are set to host FCS No. 1 South Dakota State at 1 p.m. Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium.
OSU has already sold each of its 52,305 seats for every game this season, so an excited crowd is expected.
Coming off a 10-win season with 20 returning starters , the Pokes have high hopes of a Big 12 championship and berth in the new 12-team playoff.
It all starts with the visiting Jackrabbits on Saturday afternoon.
Here’s a look at what you need to know about the game:
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Oklahoma State vs. South Dakota State
- When: 1 p.m. Saturday
- Where: Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater
- TV: ESPN+ (subscription required)
- Streaming: Watch ESPN ( here's how to stream it live )
- Radio: KXXY-FM 96.1
- Line: Cowboys by 9.5
- Over/under: 53.5
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Scouting South Dakota State
- Last season: 15-0 (FCS national champion)
- Best player: The Jackrabbits quarterback, Mark Gronowski, won the Walter Payton Award as the top player at the FCS level last season, throwing for 3,058 yards and rushing for 402 yards with 37 total touchdowns. For his career, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Gronowski has completed 65% of his passes and averaged 4.3 yards per rush. The Cowboys are well aware of his dual-threat capabilities, which will provide quite a challenge for the OSU defense right out of the gate.
- The case for SDSU: The Jackrabbits have won 29 straight games, with their last loss a 7-3 defeat against Iowa in the 2022 season opener. What does that mean? This team knows how to win. Gronowski has a 37-3 record as a starting quarterback. The Jackrabbits won’t be scared by the magnitude of the opportunity ahead of them.
- The case for OSU: Despite all of the above, the Pokes still have more depth and overall talent. SDSU hasn’t faced an offense with the firepower of the Cowboys, with players like Ollie Gordon II , Brennan Presley and others. This will provide a good opening test for the defense of Bryan Nardo, who has adjusted his 3-3-5 scheme to fit the Cowboys’ individual talent . And on top of all that, the game is set for a 1 p.m. kickoff, with temperatures that could push toward 90 degrees — a heat/humidity situation the Jackrabbits can’t simulate in Brookings, South Dakota.
—Scott Wright, Staff writer
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football vs South Dakota State: TV channel, betting line, scouting report
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