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The South Carolina State Bulldogs take on the Howard Bison in FCS action on Thursday, Nov. 5. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
South Carolina State is favored by -19.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -1720. Howard, meanwhile, enters as a +19.5 underdog and is +820 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 45.5 total points.
Here's my South Carolina State vs Howard predictionand college football pick for Friday, November 6.
South Carolina State vs Howard Pick: South Carolina State -15.5 (Play to -20)
My Howard vs. South Carolina State best bet is on the Bulldogs to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page .
South Carolina State vs Howard point spread: South Carolina State -19.5, Howard +19.5
South Carolina State vs Howard over/under: 45.5
South Carolina State vs Howard moneyline: South Carolina State ML -1720, Howard ML +820
South Carolina State has been a completely different team coming out of the bye week, winning back-to-back games over Norfolk State and Morgan State in its last two outings.
The defense has stepped up tremendously after getting shredded by The Citadel and Charleston Southern before the week off. This team clearly needed a reset.
Nothing else matters now, however, outside of the next three games as the Bulldogs look to make a late-season push to take firm control over the MEAC and defend their league title.
The defense dominated a Morgan State team that had received a lot of buzz around the HBCU football community for its vastly improved offense.
The Bears were thwarted by SC State while registering just 150 total yards on 48 plays. Just one of those snaps went for an explosive play, and Morgan State didn't score an offensive touchdown.
The run defense has been incredible all season, outside of the contest against the triple-option Citadel, as SC State is allowing just 2.8 yards per carry and 82 yards per game on the ground.
Howard will struggle badly to move the ball on the ground, and when the Bison attempt passes, this defense should go to work.
SC State has registered 28 sacks and 72 tackles for loss this season, and Howard's offensive line has struggled in pass protection. This defense should show up and show out in this one.
The offense looked great last week against Morgan State, as the Bulldogs racked up 509 yards of total offense and scored 51 points in the blowout victory.
Quarterback Keely Watson is throwing dimes, and last time out was a great display of that. Watson threw four touchdowns and completed 75% of his passes, and he now has a 15:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
The ground game is also humming behind the efforts of Mason Pickett-Hicks, who's averaging 7.3 yards per carry on the ground. This is a dangerous bunch.
Howard's best win this season came in the season opener over Alabama A&M, which is in contention to be the best team in HBCU football in 2026.
Wins over Hampton and Morehouse don't move the needle for me, and the Bison were unbelievably fortunate to defeat Morgan State on Oct. 24.
The Bears led the game, 20-6, with eight minutes remaining, and Howard had registered just 100 total yards up to that point. A pair of late touchdowns tied the game, and the Bison won in OT.
They followed up this stunning performance with a 34-0 loss to NC Central in which the offense put up just 114 total yards and four first downs.
The passing offense has been a major disappointment, as the Bison have been held under 150 passing yards in seven of their last eight contests.
Ja'Shawn Scroggins and Isaiah Freeman have rotated at quarterback, and the pair are completing just 49% of their passes. Scroggins has been ruled out for the season, so Freeman and third-stringer Terrell Russell Jr. should both log snaps under center.
The passing offense isn't explosive and figures to struggle in this matchup. Howard will be running the ball against the best defensive team in the MEAC. Struggles along the offensive line will make this task seemingly insurmountable.
The defense hasn't played too badly this season, but the dam broke last week against NC Central. The Bison allowed 34 points and 472 yards against NCC, as the offense could generate no momentum and the defense was put in bad spots consistently.
Howard has registered 23 sacks this season and must find ways to provide pressure against SC State to contain the passing attack and limit explosive plays.
This line opened with South Carolina State listed as a 15.5-point favorite with a total set at 50.5. I'm going to lay the number with the Bulldogs.
The Howard offense finds itself in major trouble here against the Bulldogs' defense, which grades out as the strongest in the MEAC.
Howard will try to run the football, but it won't find success against an SC State front that's allowing just 2.2 yards per carry against non-option teams.
MEAC foes can't find consistent running lanes, and last week, Morgan State ran for -12 yards with sack yardage.
The defensive line has the strongest pass rush in the MEAC. Ka'von Chisolm leads the charge with seven sacks. Jordan Dollard has four sacks, Joshua Barker has 4.5 sacks, and the team has registered 28 as a team, along with 72 tackles for loss.
The Howard offensive line has struggled with allowing activity in the backfield and is now going to be squaring up a backup quarterback who has not played well.
Howard is converting just 30% of third-down attempts, and the red-zone performance has been inadequate in many games.
SC State has been elite on money downs this year, allowing just 25% of third-down attempts to be converted. The defense also hasn't allowed a red-zone touchdown in seven of its nine games.
Howard isn't going to score many points in this game.
The SC State offense has been revamped since the bye week, and Watson is throwing a great football right now. I don't anticipate the pressure being there for the Howard defense, and the pass explosives will be there for the Bulldogs.
This game should see SC State in firm control, and I expect a three-touchdown win at a minimum. Given the circumstances, this is going to be my largest FCS wager of the season to date.
