Albany vs South Dakota State FCS Playoffs Semifinal Prediction & Picks: Will the Jackrabbits Jump Into Second Straight Title Game?

The 2023 college football season has been a season of firsts for the Albany Great Danes. They won the CAA championship for the first time, have won double-digit games on the FCS level for the first time, and advanced beyond the second round of the FCS playoffs for the first time.

Now, they are one win away from adding another first to the bunch. But they will need to pull a momentous upset on the road, as their opposition for tonight’s semifinal matchup (7:00 pm ET, ESPN2) is South Dakota State, the reigning national champs and the top seed in the playoffs.

Picks in this piece are from BetOnline, where you can find odds for the FCS playoffs, Celebration Bowl, and all FBS bowl and College Football Playoff games.

After reaching the quarterfinals for the first time with a blowout win over fellow CAA co-champion Richmond, Albany extended their run to a first-ever semifinal appearance with a 30-22 win at #4 Idaho last Saturday night.

The Great Danes (11-3) trailed for much of the game in Moscow, but they took the lead with a late touchdown and came up with a big turnover to silence the Kibbie Dome as Idaho was driving for a go-ahead touchdown.

It will take an even bigger effort to upend the Jackrabbits (13-0), who have won 27 straight games and have not lost in Brookings since October 2021.

Albany vs South Dakota State Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, where you can currently get a 100% bonus on your first cryptocurrency deposit. If you’re interested in trying them out, we recommend checking out our BetOnline review.

Spread

• Albany +20 (-115)
• South Dakota State -20 (-105)

Over/Under

• Over 47.5 (-110)
• Under 47.5 (-110)

2023 Season Results for #5 Albany (11-3)

• vs Fordham: won 34-13
• at Marshall: lost 21-17
• at Hawaii: lost 31-20
• at Morgan State: won 23-17 (OT)
• vs Villanova: won 31-10
• at Towson: won 24-17
• at New Hampshire: lost 38-31
• vs Rhode Island: won 35-10
• at Maine: won 37-21
• vs William & Mary: won 24-8
• at Stony Brook: won 38-20
• vs Monmouth: won 41-0
• vs Richmond (FCS Playoffs Second Round): won 41-13
• at Idaho (FCS Playoffs Quarterfinal): won 30-22

2023 Season Results for South Dakota State (13-0)

• vs Western Oregon: won 45-7
• vs Montana State: won 20-16
• (Minneapolis, MN) vs Drake: won 70-7
• vs North Dakota: won 42-21
• at Illinois State: won 40-21
• vs Northern Iowa: won 41-6
• at Southern Illinois: won 17-10
• at South Dakota: won 37-3
• vs North Dakota State: won 33-16
• at Youngstown State: won 34-0
• vs Missouri State: won 35-17
• vs Mercer (FCS Playoffs Second Round): won 41-0
• vs Villanova (FCS Playoffs Quarterfinal): won 23-12

Albany vs South Dakota State Prediction and Picks

Prediction: South Dakota State to win

Last week, the Jackrabbits eliminated one of the two CAA co-champions that reached the last eight, sending #8 seed Villanova home with a 23-12 win.

It wasn’t their best all-around performance, as they scored fewer than 30 points for just the third time this season. But they held the Wildcats to only 219 yards, and running back Isaiah Davis, who ran for 192 yards, put the game beyond Villanova’s reach with a 66-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

That Villanova, a team that Albany beat handily in the regular season, pushed SDSU like they did, should help boost the Great Danes’ confidence that they can do the same. So should their win at Idaho, whose only home loss this season had been to Montana, who is one of the other semifinalists.

Albany leads the FCS in turnovers forced, with the late fumble they forced against Idaho being their 28th takeaway of the season. To have a chance against South Dakota State, the Great Danes will need to come up with a turnover or three.

A big part of that will depend on whether or not their pass rush can get to Jackrabbits QB Mark Gronowski, who has been sacked just nine times this season. Albany leads the FCS in sacks (50) and sacks per game (3.57), but they managed only one of Idaho QB Gevani McCoy. However, the one they managed caused the fumble that helped them ice the game.

I certainly think that the Great Danes can make things very interesting tonight. But you don’t win 27 straight games without being really hard to beat, and I don’t think that streak will be coming to an end tonight.

Picks: Albany/South Dakota State Over 47.5 (-110 at BetOnline)

These two teams are ranked #1 (Albany, at 2.57 yards allowed per attempt) and #17 (South Dakota, at 3.33 yards allowed per attempt) against the run, so we may see the quarterbacks take the spotlight tonight.

Albany QB Reese Poffenbarger leads the FCS in touchdown passes (36) and should finish as the leader in passing yards (he is currently second, 78 yards behind New Hampshire’s Max Brosmer). Poffenbarger threw for 341 yards and three scores against Idaho, with Brevin Easton on the end of all three touchdowns and 228 of those 341 yards.

Gronowski didn’t put up big aerial numbers against either Mercer (11 of 16, 158 yards, TD, INT) or Villanova (11 of 19, 101 yards, TD), but a big game from him is coming. If both QBs do what they are capable of, I really like the over. Light rain is in the forecast for later in the evening, but it shouldn’t have the impact heavier weather could.

Where to Bet on College Football

Most top online sportsbooks offer a wide variety of college football odds throughout the season, including on the two CFP semifinal matchups between Michigan and Alabama and Washington and Texas.

In addition to being able to make weekly college football picks all the way from Week Zero to the College Football Playoff National Championship, you can also bet on Heisman Trophy odds, conference championship odds, win totals, and much more.

There are plenty of sports betting sites you can choose from that are good for college football betting. Below are some of the books that we highly recommend:

• BetDSI
• BetOnline
• BetUS
• Bookmaker
• MyBookie
• Sportsbetting.ag

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds.

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