Eastern Washington at South Dakota
How they got here
Last two games
Eastern Washington · 1-1
Picked #186 in the preseason · now #185 — about right.
1-1 in its last two — but nothing on this résumé beats a top-40 team yet.
W 34–24 vs Northern Iowa #186 of 669
won by 10 as a 7-point favorite
L 27–34 @ Northern Arizona #134 of 669
lost by 7 as a 5.5-point underdog
Last two games
South Dakota · 2-0
Picked #122 in the preseason · now #138.
Two straight wins — but still hunting a ranked opponent.
W 38–23 @ Northern Colorado #254 of 669
won by 15 as a 20.5-point favorite
W 59–20 vs Central Connecticut #175 of 669
won by 39 as a 20.5-point favorite
What’s at stake
Eastern Washington
- Eastern Washington needs 5 more wins in the final 9 to reach bowl eligibility.
- Eastern Washington is still shaking off a 18-point loss.
South Dakota
- South Dakota needs 5 more wins in the final 9 to reach bowl eligibility.
- South Dakota is coming off a 18-point win.
The series
South Dakota leads the series 2-0
2 meetings since 2011 · South Dakota has won the last 2
- 2026South Dakota 41–23
- 2011South Dakota 30–17
The line, and the room
The model and the market don’t fully agree on South Dakota’s chances here.
Home −15.5 · O/U 61.5
Conditions
South Dakota is worth +5.0 points (±9.7) more at home than on the road since 2018 — middle of FBS, 66th percentile.
57% at home, 15% on the road against FBS opponents (4–3 home, 2–11 away).
Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads +6.2 at home vs. away over 51 games — inside the ±7.5 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.
Indoors — dome hosts have beaten the number by about a point and a half more than outdoor ones, on a small sample. The visitors travel about 1,054 miles to get here.
Eastern Washington 23 – South Dakota 41
Called it — picked South Dakota to win.
Recent games
South Dakota
- Wk 1Wvs Central Connecticut59-20
- Wk 1Wat Northern Colorado38-23
Eastern Washington
- Wk 1Lat Northern Arizona27-34
- Wk 1Wvs Northern Iowa34-24
Trajectory
South Dakota won 41-23, as picked pregame.