Griz vs Jackrabbits
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits are coming to town as favorites against the Grizzlies, in what should be a very entertaining playoff game.
SDSU -3 at UM
South Dakota State’s stadium renovation, increasing seating from 17,00 to over 22,000 can’t come soon enough. This is the second year in a row a higher seeded SDSU will have to travel to the state of Montana (last year SDSU was 11 point favorites at MSU). Washington Grizzly Stadium once again proves to be a tremendous asset to the Griz as ticket sales trump ranking in giving them home field advantage (home field in the first round is determined by a bidding process. The school who can put up the most money/sell the most tickets, secures home field).
The line actually opened at 5.5 points, but money came in early on the Griz. My initial reaction is that the Griz should win, being a well-rounded team that is heating up at the right time. However, once you start to look at how the two teams have performed throughout the season, some big questions arise.
SDSU comes from the best conference in the country, the Missouri Valley, which has five teams in the playoffs. The Jackrabbits opened the season with a road victory over FBS school Kansas and followed it up with a 55-10 home drubbing of Big Sky conference champion Southern Utah.
Montana will have a tough time adjusting early to SDSU’s dominant defense, having played three of the worst defenses in the country the past three weeks (Idaho State, Eastern Washington and Montana State). How Montana adjusts and how quickly SDSU can score before the Griz settle in could very well decide this game. Gus started cold against MSU before heating up late in the first quarter, but this will prove to be a much tougher test.
I wouldn’t at all be surprised ot see SDSU go up by at least two scores early, but I’m going with my gut here…
Montana 27 SDSU 24
Montana Parlay is 14-7 against the spread for the year.
About the Author
Montana Parlay Born in Billings. Attended MSU. Likes sports, enjoys gambling, loves Montana. Purveyor of wit and bullshit. Wannabe poet, occasional writer.
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