James Madison appeared to have a shot of making the College Football Playoff if it could win the Sun Belt. But the chances of that happening took a significant hit over the past month.
The Dukes started the year with four straight wins, including a victory over North Carolina that featured an astounding offensive performance. But they’ve since lost two of their last three contests, both against Sun Belt teams.
If they want any chance of making the conference championship at this point, they’ll probably need a win this week over Southern Miss, which is 1-6 overall and recently fired head coach Will Hall.
New Customer Offers at BetMGM
Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l Terms
Southern Miss vs. JMU Betting Odds
Southern Miss is a +24 college football betting odds underdog against JMU, with the Over/Under being 53.5.
The moneyline for Southern Miss is +1200, while it’s -3000 for JMU.
Southern Miss vs. JMU On TV
The matchup between Southern Miss and JMU will be televised on ESPN+.
The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 26. The contest is taking place at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Southern Miss vs. JMU Prediction
I predict JMU will win and cover the spread at -24. I also project the game will go Over 53.5 total points.
The Dukes are going to be desperate for a win in this one. Their offense has been extremely inconsistent so far, but I think this is a game where they will thrive on that side of the ball.
And this is the perfect opportunity for JMU to get back on track. Southern Miss is in disarray as a program after firing head coach Will Hall, and the Dukes are even at home for this one.
JMU’s defense, meanwhile, has actually been pretty solid. Nobody has scored more than 28 points against the Dukes except for North Carolina. Even in JMU’s losses – 21-19 at ULM and 28-14 at Georgia Southern – the Dukes’ defense was the reason they were in those games on the road at all.
Maybe Southern Miss changes things up, forcing JMU to adjust early on. But I think the Dukes will have very few issues in this contest.
