A Final Look at Week 1 Spreads for Area College Football Teams

Week 0 came and went in the blink of an eye, and now we're staring down the official start of the College Football season.

Thursday night brings a slew of games involving area teams, including the season opener for the USD Coyotes.

Let's take a look at the spreads for our area teams ahead of Week 1, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook:

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Big 12

North Dakota +27 @ Iowa State - Saturday 2:30pm

Big Ten

Illinois State +22.5 @ Iowa - Saturday 11am

North Carolina @ Minnesota +2.5 - Thursday 7pm

UTEP +27.5 @ Nebraska - Saturday 2:30pm

MVFC

NDSU +9.5 @ Colorado - Thursday 7pm

SDSU +9.5 @ Oklahoma State - Saturday 1pm

It's going to be a very exciting weekend for our area teams, as most get their seasons underway. The only exception is Augustana, as the Vikings will open the season a week from Thursday against UMary on the road.

Source: DraftKings Sportsbook

Do You Know Your South Dakota College and University Mascots

The college football experience is an ultimate high for football fans and it takes several other teams to make that happen week after week during the season.

Just think about what goes into gameday.

First and foremost, the players and coaching staff who put in hours and hours of practice and training to play in front of their fans. Then there's field prep, game officials, live broadcasts, concessions, and on-the-field entertainment. Yep, entertainment.

Second to the game, who do you watch? The cheerleaders? The band at halftime? What about the mascot? That's a job not many people can do.

I asked Sioux Falls native and former Cagey mascot for the Sioux Falls Canaries and Little Red & Herbie for the Nebraska Huskers Nate Welch about being a mascot:

What does it take to be a mascot?
"Losing a bet or filling an opportunity!" Welch says, "An internal energized desire to love life. After meeting great performers who are introverts out of costume, they become the center of attention when they take the stage. And also feeding off the performance of others."
Why does the mascot never talk?
"Know your role and shut your mouth. You are there to entertain. Tell the story with your actions and not your voice."
Advice to someone putting on that costume for the first time?
"Remember you are now in a costume. Have fun. Otherwise, you're just a dork in tights. If the fur ain't flying you ain't trying."

So, can you name the mascots at our South Dakota Colleges and Universities? Check out the gallery below:

Gallery Credit: Dave Roberts