The South Dakota Coyotes take on the Montana Grizzlies in the FCS Playoffs quarterfinals on Saturday, Dec. 13. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Montana is favored by 7.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -345. South Dakota, meanwhile, enters as a +7.5 underdog and is +275 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 60.5 total points.
Here’s my South Dakota vs. Montana prediction and college football picks for Saturday, December 13.
South Dakota vs Montana Prediction
- South Dakota vs Montana Pick: South Dakota +7.5
My Montana vs. South Dakota best bet is on the Coyotes to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
South Dakota vs Montana Odds
| South Dakota Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7.5 -115 | 60.5 -110o / -110u | +275 |
| Montana Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7.5 -105 | 60.5 -110o / -110u | -345 |
- South Dakota vs Montana Spread: South Dakota +7.5, Montana -7.5
- South Dakota vs Montana Over/Under: 60.5 Points
- South Dakota vs Montana Moneyline: South Dakota +275, Montana -345
South Dakota vs Montana FCS Playoffs Preview
South Dakota Coyotes Betting Preview: Riding High on Backs of Offense
South Dakota comes in red-hot after thrashing Mercer last week on the road in the second round of the FCS Playoffs. The Coyotes now have five impressive wins in a row coming into this quarterfinal matchup with Montana.
The Yotes left no doubt early in their last matchup, building a 24-0 halftime lead and scoring twice in the first five minutes of the third quarter to erase any hopes of Mercer comeback.
The USD ground attack was unstoppable, as running back L.J. Phillips Jr. continues his torrid pace. He led the Coyotes with 159 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Quarterback Aidan Bouman threw for 241 yards, and the deep-shot connections to Tysen Boze and Larenzo Fenner were big momentum swings. This offense is going to cause problems against the Griz on Saturday.
The USD defense has been physical, fast and opportunistic in these 2025 FCS Playoffs. Last week was no different.
USD shut down everything Mercer wanted to do offensively while forcing four interceptions in the shutout win.
Mercer never got into an offensive rhythm, as Jerry Rice Award-winning freshman quarterback Braden Atkinson was frustrated and pressured in the pocket routinely.
The Yotes have a tall order ahead of them in trying to contain the electrifying Montana offense, but if they play the way they have been in recent weeks, this game should be tight during the critical stretches of the fourth quarter.
Montana Grizzlies Betting Preview: Breathtaking QB Play Leads the Way
Montana really showed out in its first playoff game, defeating South Dakota State, 50-29. A back-and-forth first half saw the Grizzlies take an eight-point lead into the half, and they never relinquished momentum behind sensational sophomore quarterback Keali’I Ah Yat.
Ah Yat threw for 360 yards and four touchdowns, while running back Eli Gillman paced the ground attack with 135 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Montana can score from anywhere on the field, and when these guys are on, they're fun to watch.
The Griz defense isn't as dominant as that of other teams in the FCS Playoffs, as Montana allows 400 yards and 24 points per game.
Montana’s front has registered 30 sacks and 69 tackles for loss this season, and the unit plays well together despite the loss of some key players.
The Griz will have to defend the run well here and look to draw up pressure packages to force Bouman to move outside the pocket in order to get the Yotes offense off schedule.
South Dakota vs Montana Pick, Betting Analysis
This line has bounced around between Montana -7 and -9.5 all week before settling at -7.5 with a total hovering around 60.5.
I called for it last week, and I'm going back to the well again here. I think the Yotes are game to give the Grizzlies a real fight, and USD will have a chance to win this game late.
The South Dakota run game is dangerous enough to allow the Yotes to maintain possession of the ball and move the chains consistently for a full 60 minutes.
Phillips has now racked up 1,847 rushing yards and 18 scores while averaging 6.6 yards per attempt.
The attitude and urgency that the Yotes' offensive line is playing with down the stretch has been extremely impressive. This offensive line doesn't allow negative plays or Havoc, and I expect the line to play its best football in this critical game.
USD is going to run the ball a ton here, and there may be no better play-action quarterback in the FCS than Bouman.
The Yotes have two elite receivers who are skilled at making tough contested catches downfield, and Bouman throws such an accurate deep ball. The play-action game will open up more opportunities in the rushing attack, so I expect USD to put points on the board here.
The South Dakota defense neutralized everything Mercer wanted to do last week, and we've seen USD's defense play well against South Dakota State, Illinois State and North Dakota in the latter half of its conference schedule.
The Yotes aren't excellent in forcing negative plays or generating Havoc, and while the secondary has been opportunistic this season, they're not elite according to the metrics.
Ah Yat and Gillman are going to make plays, and the Griz have been one of the more consistent performing offenses in FCS this season.
However, I like what I've seen from the South Dakota defense down the stretch and in playoff-type atmospheres this
season. USD is going to keep this game close, so I like the Yotes at anything over a touchdown.
Pick: South Dakota +7.5
South Dakota vs Montana Betting Trends
