Sun Belt: James Madison Dukes vs Marshall Thundering Herd  

The James Madison Dukes (6-0 / 3-0) hope to remain undefeated when they travel to Huntington, West Virginia to take on the Marshall Thundering Herd (4-2/ 1-1). The Dukes are one spot out of the Top 25 in both the AP and Coaches with just three votes separating James Madison from the 25th-ranked UCLA Bruins in the latter rankings. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET / 4:00 pm PT and can be seen on ESPN. Let’s start our James Madison vs Marshall odds preview, starting with the Dukes.

James Madison, Class Of The Sun Belt

The college football betting lines sheet shows the Dukes are a 3.5-point favorite at Marshall, but it appears not everyone is convinced after the number was adjusted from opening -4. If the Dukes do make it through the season unscathed, it won’t be because James Madison hasn’t been tested.

Outside of Coastal Carolina, Curt Cignetti’s team clearly has the strongest strength of schedule after disposing of Georgia Southern, 41-13, as a 5.5-point home favorite. The Dukes own the nation’s 59th toughest schedule and have already won at Virginia, and at Troy the week after.

Their biggest remaining college football match-up will come at home against Appalachian State in a month, but they can’t overlook Marshall this week, You can bet we’re going to see the combination of QB Jordan McCloud and RB Kaelon Black who took part in a combined six scores in the Dukes win.

Respected bettors like the Herd this week, but it’s hard to go against a team that has covered 13 of their last 18 games against FBS opponents (+6.68 units). In that span, James Madison is 9-4 ATS as a favorite and 4-2 ATS as a road favorite. The Dukes have covered 3 of their last 4 games against NCAAF teams .500 or better. Let’s continue our James Madison vs Marshall odds preview by switching our attention to the Thundering Herd.

Herd Couldn’t Pull Ahead After Comeback

A win at Georgia State would have catapulted Marshall into the Sun Belt stratosphere with James Madison. Instead, the Herd couldn’t overcome a 27-10 Georgia State lead right before the half, despite coming as close as 27-24 heading into the fourth.

Head Coach Charles Huff wouldn’t allow his team to willow in the loss long knowing the opportunity they have ahead against the Dukes. Marshall isn’t as high as James Madison in the NCAA Football rankings, but statistically, the Thundering Herd are 14th in the nation against the pass, allowing just 178.3 yards per game and 19th with eight forced turnovers in six games.

Two reasons why James Madison isn’t a bigger favorite. Over the last four NCAAF seasons, Marshal is a combined 18-17 ATS, 5-3 as an underdog. The troubling statistic for Herd bettors is that they are just 14-29 ATS at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. We conclude our James Madison vs Marshal odds preview with our official selection.

Total Most Attractive Option

The total has fallen after opening at 53, but after it fell to 52, we were all over it. We know defense rules when it comes to Marshall, but in order to join the opinion of the betting public we would have to overlook an offense that averages just under 35 points a game (28th in the nation).

We think McCloud and receiver Reggie Brown will have a massive afternoon. Our official NCAA Football score prediction is James Madison 28, Marshall 26. That does it for our James Madison vs Marshall odds preview, we wish you the best with your wagers this week.

For NCAAF betting news, NCAAF scores predictions, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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