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It is time to continue our college football odds series with Marshall-James Madison predictions and a pick. Find out how to watch Marshall-James Madison.
The big games on the coming college football weekend will receive massive national attention. This game between Marshall and James Madison won’t get banner headlines, but it’s a huge game nonetheless.
The Sun Belt Conference’s two division races are going down to the final game of the 12-game regular season and the last game of the scheduled Sun Belt slate. In the Sun Belt West Division, Louisiana leads South Alabama by one game, but USA won the head-to-head matchup between the two teams. It’s very simple in the West: If Louisiana wins, it clinches a spot in the Sun Belt Championship Game. If Louisiana loses and South Alabama wins, South Alabama goes to the Sun Belt title game.
Over in the East Division, it’s the same thing. Marshall leads the division by one game over Georgia Southern. However, Georgia Southern beat Marshall head to head, meaning that if Marshall loses here to James Madison and Georgia Southern wins its game, Marshall will get knocked out of the Sun Belt Championship Game. Georgia Southern will advance.
The stakes are high and everyone knows it. Marshall doesn’t need to scoreboard watch. Win and in. That’s the mindset for the Thundering Herd, but it will be tough on the road against a good James Madison team which, truth be told, has slightly underperformed relative to expectations this season. It’s a challenging battle at the end of a contentious and interesting Sun Belt title race.
Marshall-James Madison Last Game – Matchup History
The last time these two teams met was in 2023. James Madison won, 20-9.
Overall Series: Marshall leads the all-time series, 3-1.
Here are the Marshall-James Madison College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Marshall-James Madison Odds
Marshall: +3.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +136
James Madison: -3.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -164
Over: 52.5 (-110)
Under: 52.5 (-110)
How to Watch Marshall vs James Madison
Time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
TV: ESPNU
Stream: fuboTV (Free trial)
Why Marshall Could Cover The Spread/Win
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The James Madison Dukes were undeniably going to be negatively affected by the departure of Curt Cignetti to Indiana, but no one could have known just how good Cignetti was going to be in the Big Ten, and no one could have known just how high a ceiling Indiana could reach with a number of transfers Cignetti brought with him from JMU to Indiana. Nevertheless, you can see the difference. There was always going to be a drop-off this season with Cignetti and some key transfers gone, but that decline has been a little steeper than expected. JMU lost a crusher to Louisiana-Monroe earlier this season. Giving away that game is why the Dukes aren’t in the division title race right now.
JMU might win, but Marshall keeping this game within a field goal margin seems like a solid play to make. JMU isn’t reliable enough to gain separation on the scoreboard.
Why James Madison Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Dukes can’t win their division, but they can spoil Marshall’s season. They’re playing at home and at night. They will want to go all-out and win this game. They have the talent to do it. They just have to show it on the field.
Final Marshall-James Madison Prediction & Pick
The lean is to Marshall, but this game seems way too hot to handle. It could spin off in any direction and feels very much like a coin flip. Pass.
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Final Marshall-James Madison Prediction & Pick: Marshall +3.5
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