ESPN College Gameday 2019: TV Schedule and Predictions for Week 9 Location

The ESPN College GameDay crew will put an interesting twist on the weekly pregame festivities this week after watching Penn State slip past Michigan in Week 8. 

In Week 9, the crew heads for Brookings, South Dakota, to take in the Dakota Marker game between the North Dakota State Bison and South Dakota State Jackrabbits. 

Not only is this a historic rivalry between two programs, but the rest of the slate also wasn't overly appealing after Wisconsin lost to Illinois last week and LSU was in need of a break from the program before it assuredly makes it on again. 

Here's a look at the preview show boasting Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and Desmond Howard, as well as the rivalry matchup. 

College GameDay Week 9 Info

Date: Saturday, October 26

Time (ET): 9 a.m. to noon; game is at 3 p.m.

Location: Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium

Watch: ESPN+

Live Stream: ESPN+

Preview

The Dakota Marker game isn't the biggest deal nationally, but it doesn't take long to figure out why ESPN's flagship preview show made the decision. 

Davis took to Twitter and explained: 

This is almost as heavyweight as it gets for an FCS matchup, too. The seven-time national title winners out of North Dakota have stormed to a 7-0 mark and South Dakota State isn't far behind at a 6-1 clip. First place in the MVFC is up for grabs with both teams sitting on 3-0 marks in conference play. 

Saturday marks the 100th meeting between the two teams with North Dakota State holding an all-time edge, 62-42-5. But home-field advantage is a consideration to keep in mind, as South Dakota State has a winning record against its rivals since 2004. 

But as usual, the Bison have looked mostly unstoppable this year. The two road games on the schedule have played out in expected fashion, with 47-22 and 37-3 results. Maybe the biggest scare of the season came against UC Davis on September 21, but even in the 27-16 win over a Big Sky opponent, the Bison rushed for 198 yards and three touchdowns on a 4.5 per-carry average and forced three turnovers. 

The Bison defense has allowed more than 20 points in a game just once, the latest outing being a 22-0 win over Missouri State. 

First-year coach Matt Entz has stressed keeping things steady despite the presence of College GameDay.

"I'll let them worry about Gameday," Entz said, according to Micah Binde of 247 Sports. "We're gonna try and go with the status quo, not making it anything more than it is. We don't need to get overly excited right now, we know it's a really good team."

South Dakota State deserves the praise after its 6-1 start, which has featured a 13th-ranked rushing offense and sixth-ranked scoring defense allowing just 15.6 points per game. The Jackrabbits have survived two road games in recent weeks by 38-28 and 42-23 margins. 

The lone blip on the record? A season-opening loss at Minnesota, 28-21, where the Big Ten team needed a touchdown with about five minutes left to escape an upset. The Jackrabbits held Minnesota to just 308 total yards and a 6-of-13 mark on third down while getting 174 yards and two scores on a 5.1 per-carry average on the ground. 

Based on both programs' body of works so far, it figures to be a close contest. 

Prediction

As fun as the run for the Jackrabbits has been this year, including the near-upset of a Big Ten foe, the Bison simply haven't skipped a beat under Entz. 

They put up 39.1 points per game for a reason and boast an offensive prowess on the ground that is even more potent than their rivals here. Trey Lance has appeared to have some growing pains under center while taking over for Easton Stick, but the offense keeps humming and adapting as it goes. 

Last year's game was a 21-17 result favoring the Bison, as the similar-minded attacks collided and defense played a big part. Look for a similar trajectory here with what is the better team escaping with a road win.

Prediction: North Dakota State Bison 24, South Dakota State 17