Tennessee State vs North Dakota State Odds, Prediction: How to Bet FCS Clash

Tennessee State vs North Dakota State Odds, Prediction: How to Bet FCS Clash article feature image
Credit:

Andrew Wevers/Getty Images. Pictured: North Dakota State quarterback Cam Miller.

Tennessee State vs. North Dakota State Odds

Tennessee State Logo
Saturday, September 7
3:30 p.m. ET
ESPN+
North Dakota State Logo
Tennessee State Odds
SpreadTotalMoneyline
+37.5
-110
49
-110o / -110u
N/A
North Dakota State Odds
SpreadTotalMoneyline
-37.5
-110
49
-110o / -110u
N/A
Odds via DraftKings . Get up-to-the-minute NCAAF odds here.
DraftKings  Logo

Tennessee State (1-0) heads to Fargo, North Dakota, to take on the North Dakota State Bison (0-1) on Saturday, Sept. 7. The game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN +.

While there is no line on this game as writing, the projected number is NDSU -36.5 with a total of 53.5.

Let's take a look at my Tennessee State vs. North Dakota State prediction below.


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Tennessee State vs North Dakota State Prediction

  • Pick: Over 49

My Tennessee State-North Dakota State odds haven't been released at the time of writing, but our expert is betting the over.


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Tennessee State vs North Dakota State Preview


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Tennessee State Tigers Betting Preview

Tennessee State comes in after dispatching Mississippi Valley State, 41-21, in its opener. The Tigers were dominant in building a 31-0 halftime lead as five of their six first-half possessions ended with points.

The passing game shined as quarterback Draylen Ellis completed 21-of-33 passes for 356 yards and three scores. Jaden McGill also chipped in 41 yards on the ground for the Tigers.

Eddie George is back for year four as head coach and the improvement has been noticeable. This year, seven starters are back on offense, including Ellis. The Tigers have four experienced running backs and experience at wide receiver with four returners. The offensive line returns three and added in two FBS power four transfers.

There are some concerns on defense as only four starters return. Eleven of the 15 top tacklers are also gone and the defensive holes are evident. On the defensive line, 1st Team FCS All-American Terrell Allen and his 14.5 sacks from last year are off to Tulane. Both starting linebackers from last year departed and the secondary only returns one of its top six from last year.

Tennessee State has a tall task ahead in traveling to the Fargo Dome, where the environment is intimidating for an FCS setting.

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North Dakota State Bison Betting Preview

North Dakota State put on quite a show in Week 1 on national TV in a close loss to Colorado.

NDSU responded to every shot taken by CU and took a 20-17 lead into halftime. The game turned late in the second half when Colorado scored back-to-back touchdowns to go up by 11 with seven minutes remaining. NDSU scored late to get within five but ultimately came up short.

Coming into the season, the offense was a concern as the Bison’s top running back, top two wide receivers and three offensive linemen needed to be replaced.

Quarterback Cam Miller was composed for most of the game and played very efficiently. Wide receiver Braylon Henderson stepped up and NDSU had answers for Colorado’s defense.

I was concerned that the running game wasn’t more explosive as Colorado had a tendency to surrender numerous explosive run plays last season and the rushing metrics for their defense were weak.

Defensively, NDSU was average in containing Colorado’s offensive attack.

Colorado punted twice and was stopped on downs at its own 34-yard line early in the game. NDSU also intercepted Shedeur Sanders in the end zone in a goal-to-go situation.

It was concerning that NDSU gave up 445 pass yards on just 26 completions and Colorado found the big play whenever it needed it, especially on third down.

NDSU still has a very top-level FCS defense, although it’s a notch down from some of its all-time level defenses.

I will be interested to see how the pass defense and third-down defense perform this week with a substantial drop in competition level.


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Tennessee State vs North Dakota State Pick & Prediction

In this contest, I’m going to be focusing on the total.

While Tennessee State pitched a shutout in the first half against MVSU, the Delta Devils are widely regarded as one of the worst offenses in FCS.

When the game was out of reach (as this one will eventually be) and the Tigers rotated through their depth, Mississippi Valley State went right down the field three straight times for touchdowns.

North Dakota State is a top-five offensive football team in FCS.

I expect very little pass rush on Miller and expect him to have a big day through the air. Once NDSU gets to the point where it’s playing its second-team offense against Tennessee State’s backups, the Bison are likely to find the endzone.

Tennessee State will play hard and the offense should be able to find success through the air. It’s feasible the Tigers contribute to this total as well.

I would play this over up to 55.5, but am hoping we see a 52 when this line opens.

Pick: Over 49 (Play to 55)


How to Watch Tennessee State vs North Dakota State Live: Start Time, TV Channel, Location

Location:Fargodome, Fargo, ND
Date:Saturday, Sept. 7
Kickoff Time:3:30 p.m. ET
TV / Streaming:ESPN+

Tennessee State vs North Dakota State Weather

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About the Author
Joshua Nunn is a contributor at Action Network who specializes in betting college football, and specifically games at the FCS level. He is a seasoned college football and college basketball bettor who previously worked in the financial services industry.

Follow Joshua Nunn @steponaduck1 on Twitter/X.

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