Can James Madison Finish Incredible Season With a Bowl Win?
We've Provided Our Armed Forces Bowl Spread Pick for Saturday's ABC Matchup
The Armed Forces Bowl kicks off this upcoming Saturday. We’ve got the latest updates on lines, injuries, departures and weather right here:
The Air Force Falcons will look to end a four-game losing streak in the 2023 Armed Forces Bowl against James Madison Dukes.
The Falcons lost their starting quarterback, Zac Larrier, earlier in the season. However, he, along with wide receivers Dane Kinamon and Jared Roznos, could all return for the bowl game. Nothing is confirmed and likely won’t be until closer to game time.
However, starting running back John Lee Eldridge is in the transfer portal and won’t play. Therefore, senior runner John Lee Eldridge III will be the No. 1 running back for the team. The quarterback also runs a lot in this system. We just don’t know if it’ll be Larrier or sophomore quarterback John Busha. Busha started at quarterback in November’s final game against Boise State.
On the other hand, James Madison has dealt with chaos throughout the last month. Former coach Curt Cignetti accepted the head coaching job at Indiana. He won’t coach. Plus, he added three coaches from James Madison to his staff at Indiana.
Offensive line coach Damian Wroblewski will be the head coach, and James Madison hired five temporary coaches for this bowl game.
Meanwhile, the Dukes will lose ten players to the transfer portal after finishing near the top of the college football standings. However, quarterback Jordan McCloud and other James Madison players could still play in the bowl game before transferring. This was McCloud’s intention many weeks ago, and it seems like some players have adopted his strategy and will play in the bowl game, too.
Like Larrier or Air Force, these college football predictions and reports are unconfirmed.
That’s why James Madison has dropped from -4.5 to just -2 since the lines came out a few Sundays ago. Meanwhile, the total has fallen from 42.5 to 40.5 since open. You can find the James Madison at -125 on the moneyline after the Dukes opened as -170 favorites. These college football odds and predictions prove oddsmakers are getting more sharp action on the Air Force. However, the analytics tell a different story.
Now, check out the rest of the Armed Forces Bowl preview, originally published on December 12.
The James Madison Dukes were initially banned from playing in a Bowl Game this season. However, this year’s college football season didn’t have enough teams with six wins and needed James Madison to fill a void despite their initial ban.
The Dukes moved from FCS to the FBS and, by rule, weren’t allowed to play in the Sun Belt Championship or in a bowl game. However, the one condition was that James Madison could play if other FBS teams fell short of earning a bowl bid with six wins.
After going 11-1 on the season, the Dukes will get an opportunity to showcase their team on the national stage against the Air Force Falcons in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on December 23.
Air Force finished the season 8-4 because the Falcons won their first eight games and then lost their last four games.
So do the Falcons have any hope left in this season?
Oddsmakers opened Air Force at +4.5 and bettors since bought it down to +3.5. The total also took a hit to the under, opening at 42.5 and now down to 40.5.
Therefore, this game is still expected to be close, despite the Air Force’s recent struggles.
Below, we’ll provide an Armed Forces Bowl spread and total pick for this exciting matchup.
Armed Forces Bowl
James Madison vs Air Force 
Day/Time:
Records: James Madison (11-1) at Air Force (8-4)
Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium
Streaming: ABC
James Madison Has Lost Its Head Coach
The James Madison Dukes had one of the most iconic seasons in college football this season. The Dukes transitioned from the FCS level to the FBS level in 2022 and joined the Sun Belt for the 2022-’23 season.
In the second season, the Dukes went 11-1 and finished as one of the best 25 teams in the nation.
However, the success story might be coming to an end now.
The Indiana Hoosiers have poached James Madison’s head coach, Curt Cignetti.
Cignetti was named the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Dukes to an 11-win season. But he won’t be there for this game. Instead, Damian Wroblewski will serve as the interim head coach in the bowl game.
James Madison Departures & Injuries
James Madison is going to lose a lot of players to the transfer portal with their success and the departure of Curt Cignetti.
The big headline is quarterback Jordan McCloud, who was the program’s quarterback. McCloud threw for nearly 3,500 yards and rushed for another 311 yards, accounting for 40 total touchdowns.
However, while he’s joining the transfer portal, reports state that it’s still likely that he will play this game and then leave. Some programs won’t allow that kind of behavior.
What Happened To the Air Force Falcons?
The Air Force Falcons were the talk of college football. They began the season 8-0 and figured to have a fantastic finish to the season.
Instead, the Air Force lost four consecutive games to finish out the season. They scored three points against Army, 13 against Hawaii, 27 against UNLC, and just 19 against Boise State.
The defense struggled, and the offense was never consistent. It led to a brutal stretch in November.
Air Force head coach spoke to the media after losing to Boise State. When asked about the four straight losses, he said, “That’s football; that’s life. It happens sometimes.”
He sounded defeated, just like his team has looked over the last month.
Air Force started three quarterbacks in the final three weeks of the season. It all began with Zac Larrier getting injured against Hawaii a couple of weeks ago. The Falcons had Jensen Jones replace him. He started against UNLV and lost. Then the Falcons started Ben Brittain for his first career start against Boise State. But he was knocked out due to an injury, allowing John Busha to finish the game at quarterback.
The inconsistency at quarterback surely didn’t help Air Force down the stretch.
Air Force Departures & Injuries
It’s currently unclear if starting quarterback Zac Larrier will return to action for the Air Force. He’s listed as questionable for this game with a knee injury. However, when he was injured, the Falcons suggested he’d be out for a while. That was a month ago. Either way, it’s clear that the Falcons are much better with Larrier at quarterback.
The oddsmakers think the Air Force could struggle offensively, too, when looking at the Armed Forces Bowl spread lines.
Don’t Count On Much Scoring
The Air Force Falcons averaged 27.6 points per game this season. However, they didn’t score more than 19 in three of their last four games.
With the quarterback position unclear, it’s unlikely that the Air Force has much success on offense against James Madison.
The James Madison Dukes are solid in coverage but even better against the run. The Dukes allowed only 2.09 yards per game on the ground this season. On 353 attempts, the Dukes surrendered only 738 yards rushing throughout 12 games.
Air Force has added over five yards a carry. But they’re mainly a triple-option, run-first offense. James Madison has an incredible run defense. Many NCAAF players are going to transfer out. Some might play in this game, while others won’t. Still, even without Cignetti, James Madison is well-coached and will be prepared to make stops in the run game.
Meanwhile, the Air Force is just as good defensively. Teams have added only 17.9 points per game, with only 3.13 yards on the ground per play. McCloud’s good enough to make some plays against Air Force. But adding big plays down the field against the Air Force won’t be easy.
This is a fun matchup on the NCAA Football schedule. There are so many college football betting lines during bowl season, and this is another exciting matchup on the slate. However, the James Madison Dukes are the one team ranked in the Top 25 via the AP Poll in the NCAAF standings.
They’re the better team and the one team trending in the right direction. Therefore, our Armed Forces Bowl spread pick includes James Madison at -4.5 (-105). We also like the Under 42.5 in this game. We don’t trust the Air Force’s offense enough.
For NCAAF scores, betting odds, analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
