The James Madison Dukes will try to remain among the unbeaten teams in FBS, but beating the Marshall Thundering Herd at home might not be an easy task. The Dukes (6-0, 3-0) enter Thursday's Sun Belt matchup off a 41-13 rout of Georgia Southern last Saturday. They are on the verge of cracking the national polls for the second straight year, but they lost three straight immediately after accomplishing that feat in 2022. One of those losses was to the Thundering Herd (4-2, 1-1), a 26-12 setback at home. Marshall has lost two in a row, including a 41-24 loss to Georgia State last weekend, but will be on its turf at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET. The latest James Madison vs. Marshall odds via the SportsLine consensus list the Dukes as 4-point favorites, and the over/under for total points scored is 49. Before locking in any Marshall vs. James Madison picks, be sure to check out the college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a stunning profit of more than $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on James Madison vs. Marshall and just revealed its picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine to see the model's CFB picks. Here are several college football odds and trends for Marshall vs. James Madison:
- JMU vs. Marshall spread: Dukes -4
- JMU vs. Marshall over/under: 49 points
- JMU vs. Marshall money line: Dukes -192, Thundering Herd +161
- JMU: Is 8-3 ATS in its past 11 conference matchups.
- MAR: Is 7-7 ATS in its past 14 games as an underdog.
- JMU vs. Marshall picks: See picks at SportsLine
- JMU vs. Marshall live stream: fubo (try for free)
Why James Madison can cover
James Madison is 11-6 against the spread since starting its transition to FBS last season. The Dukes should be able to force Marshall into being one-dimensional, as they lead the nation in run defense. They give up 39 rushing yards per game and 1.4 per carry, both best in FBS. The defense also has 26 sacks, with Jalen Green ranking third in the nation with eight. Preseason All-SBC defensive end James Carpenter has 3.5 and has one of the team's 10 interceptions.
The offense has been guided by the steady hand of senior quarterback Jordan McCloud, a former starter at South Florida who transferred from Arizona. He has 1,432 passing yards while throwing for 14 TDs and just three interceptions. The Dukes, who average 34 points per game, should rely on the run Thursday. Kaelon Black (554 total yards) and Ty Son Lawton (244 rushing yards) should be able to find holes in a Marshall run defense that yields 209 yards per game (125th in FBS). See which team to pick here.
Why Marshall can cover
Marshall beat the Dukes on the road last season, part of a three-game James Madison losing streak after it entered the polls. The Herd had 326 yards, 167 on the ground, while James Madison had 247 total yards. Fancher started that game as a freshman, and while he didn't have a great game (159 passing yards), he'll have a lot more confidence this year. Fancher is completing 69% of his throws and has 1,506 passing yards, and he has a lot of options for pass-catchers.
Eight Herd players have at least 11 receptions, led by Caleb Coombs, who has 23 and has scored twice. Tight end Cade Conley has caught 18 passes, though his status is uncertain because of an ankle injury. Running back Rasheen Ali has 15 receptions but does most of his damage in the ground game, rushing for 641 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Marshall defense has 20 sacks, led by Owen Porter (4.5). He had 9.5 last season, with 3.5 of those against JMU. See which team to pick here.
How to make James Madison vs. Marshall picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 55 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits more than 50% of the time. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Marshall vs. James Madison, and which side of the spread hits in more than 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has notched a profit of more than $2,000 on its top-rated college football spread picks, and find out.
