2016 — The Winning Chapter

South Dakota State's 2016 season (9-4) is a middle chapter: table-stakes progress, no crown in the ledger, the program still writing the book.

Record 9-4
Final Result Bowl season
AP Final — post-bowls
SP+ -3.3 last-week
Era —
The Shape — week-by-week · cumulative W–L below
L @ TCU 41-59 W vs Drake 56-28 L vs Cal Poly 31-38 W vs West Ill 52-14 W @ Sout Ill 45-39 W @ Nort Sta 19-17 W vs Youn Sta 24-10 L @ Illi Sta 21-38 W vs Miss Sta 49-24 W vs Sout Dak 28-21 W @ Nort Iow 45-24 W vs Villan 10-7 L @ Nort Sta 10-36
Defining Moments
The Statement

The 2016 season's largest margin: South Dakota State 52, Western Illinois 14. A 38-point win — the year's high-water mark.

The Setback

The season's deepest loss: South Dakota State 10, North Dakota State 36. A 26-point margin the season is remembered by.

"Go Jacks"
— South Dakota State fanbase voice · 2016· synthesized
What It Meant

2016 is a middle chapter for South Dakota State — neither a crown year nor a crisis. It is the kind of season that fills the ledger between the named ones and gives the arc its shape.