The acronyms by which we separate the first and second tiers of Division-I college football are a little goofy: Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
FBS, of course, is major college football. FCS is the level formerly known as Division I-AA.
On Friday night, OU will open its season against Temple — one of 134 programs in the FBS. Saturday afternoon, OSU will host FCS South Dakota State.
But don’t get it twisted. Acronyms schmackronyms.
The Cowboys are in store for a way, wayy, wayyy tougher game than are the Sooners.
Two-time defending FCS champion South Dakota State is an FBS-level team in disguise. Probably better than a handful of Big 12 teams. No. 18 Oklahoma State, picked third in the Big 12 preseason poll, is only a 9.5-point favorite. At home.
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No. 16 Oklahoma, meanwhile, is a 42.5-point favorite against Temple.
If the Jackrabbits and Owls met on a neutral field in Chicago — halfway between Brookings, South Dakota, and Philadelphia — South Dakota State would be favored. Probably by a touchdown or more.
ESPN’s Bill Connelly, the mastermind behind the SP+ projections, took on the insane assignment of ranking all 762 teams in college football, from Divisions I, II and III to the NAIA ranks.
OU was 13th in Connelly’s rankings. OSU was 20th.
South Dakota State was 50th, ranked between Rutgers and Oregon State.
That means South Dakota State is projected to be better than 84 FBS teams! North Dakota State, kings of the FCS until South Dakota State usurped the green and gold Bison, was the second-highest ranked FCS team (62nd) in Connelly’s rankings.
Montana (81st), Montana State (84th), Villanova (91st), Southern Illinois (94th) and South Dakota (100th) are the other FCS teams that cracked the top-100.
Louisiana-Monroe, for context, was the lowest-ranked FBS team at 185th.
Temple, the third-worst FBS team, is 180th — 130 spots behind South Dakota State.
Makes you wonder what’s going on in the Dakotas and Montana to have four powerhouse FCS programs.
“I think it’s probably the competitive nature in which we play each other with,” South Dakota State coach Jimmy Rogers said. “The Dakota Marker rivalry (between North Dakota State and South Dakota State) is probably the best in FCS football. And if you were to argue that, you’d be arguing with the Brawl of the Wild, which is the Montanas.
“Neither the Dakotas nor Montana have professional sports, but we really are the professional sport for both states.”
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Rogers is in his second season as head coach. He took over for John Stiegelmeier, who retired after winning a national championship in his 26th season.
Three South Dakota State players have been selected in the last two NFL Drafts. The Jackrabbits lost several key players from last year’s squad, but they return quarterback Mark Gronowski, who rebuffed offers from Power 4 FBS programs.
SDSU has a long way to go before it matches the legacy of North Dakota State, which has won nine FCS national titles since 2011 (four under Kansas State coach Chris Klieman), but the Jackrabbits will arrive in Stillwater riding a 29-game winning streak.
South Dakota State’s last loss? Sept. 3, 2022 at Iowa. The Jackrabbits lost 7-3.
In 2019, Minnesota beat South Dakota State 28-21.
OSU will be the third power conference FBS team to play South Dakota State in the last five seasons. South Dakota State played Minnesota and Iowa close, and there’s little reason to think the Jackrabbits won’t compete with the Cowboys, which are 15-0 against FCS teams under Mike Gundy.
South Dakota State isn’t coming to collect a participation trophy, though.
“We’ve given up moral victories here for a long time,” Rogers said. “We’re going there for a reason. We’re going to compete. If we’re gonna claim we’re one of the best in the country, here’s an opportunity to showcase that.”
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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Publish date : 2024-08-29 01:32:00
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