Friday Night football sees the Dukes take on the Cardinals at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN2. SBR's Mike Spector breaks down the matchup in his James Madison vs Louisville prediction:
ATS Pick: James Madison +14.5 alternate spread (-140 FanDuel)
"James Madison opened as a 15.5-point underdog and has been bet down under two touchdowns. While I would stick back its +13.5 point spread with four stars of confidence, I am opting to bet the Dukes at a line higher than the key number of 14 and don’t mind paying up slightly at FanDuel for its 58.33% implied probability to do so.
When these two teams met in 2022, James Madison was in its first season as an FBS school. In the short three years since, the Dukes have established themselves in the conversation of being one of the best Group of Five programs and have finished in the top 50 of the SP+ final rankings in each of their three seasons as an FBS school.
JMU is projected as the Sun Belt East champion who could make a run at a College Football Playoff appearance, in large part because of the ability of dual-threat quarterback Alonza Barnett III. He was only cleared for non-contact drills in the spring after suffering a lower leg injury last year, but any lingering concerns were erased in his 160-yard performance with both rushing and passing touchdowns in the team’s Week 1 victory.
James Madison has one of the most underrated running back corps in the country. George Pettaway, Wayne Knight, and Jobi Malary combined to average 6.0 yards per carry on 22 rushing attempts per game last year, and the trio combined for a near 10-yard per carry average last week. If the Dukes stay close enough in this game early, they can cause fits for the Louisville defense with an efficient running game."
Best player prop bet: George Pettaway anytime touchdown scorer (+138 bet365)
"James Madison’s team total O/U is 21.5. If it scores three or more touchdowns, lead running back George Pettaway has a great chance to score early given the Dukes’ likely plan to pound the rock.
Pettaway did not find the endzone in last week’s 45-10 win over Weber State, but he did turn a team-high 10 carries into a game-high 99 rushing yards. I expect him to find success against a Cardinals defense that lost 14 of the 19 defenders who logged 200-plus snaps from last year’s team.
Pettaway scored touchdowns in three of the final six games last season and added receiving scores in two others earlier in the year, making him the team’s most versatile running back."
James Madison vs Louisville odds:
Can James Madison keep this close or will Louisville pull away? Post your picks below!
ATS Pick: James Madison +14.5 alternate spread (-140 FanDuel)
"James Madison opened as a 15.5-point underdog and has been bet down under two touchdowns. While I would stick back its +13.5 point spread with four stars of confidence, I am opting to bet the Dukes at a line higher than the key number of 14 and don’t mind paying up slightly at FanDuel for its 58.33% implied probability to do so.
When these two teams met in 2022, James Madison was in its first season as an FBS school. In the short three years since, the Dukes have established themselves in the conversation of being one of the best Group of Five programs and have finished in the top 50 of the SP+ final rankings in each of their three seasons as an FBS school.
JMU is projected as the Sun Belt East champion who could make a run at a College Football Playoff appearance, in large part because of the ability of dual-threat quarterback Alonza Barnett III. He was only cleared for non-contact drills in the spring after suffering a lower leg injury last year, but any lingering concerns were erased in his 160-yard performance with both rushing and passing touchdowns in the team’s Week 1 victory.
James Madison has one of the most underrated running back corps in the country. George Pettaway, Wayne Knight, and Jobi Malary combined to average 6.0 yards per carry on 22 rushing attempts per game last year, and the trio combined for a near 10-yard per carry average last week. If the Dukes stay close enough in this game early, they can cause fits for the Louisville defense with an efficient running game."
Best player prop bet: George Pettaway anytime touchdown scorer (+138 bet365)
"James Madison’s team total O/U is 21.5. If it scores three or more touchdowns, lead running back George Pettaway has a great chance to score early given the Dukes’ likely plan to pound the rock.
Pettaway did not find the endzone in last week’s 45-10 win over Weber State, but he did turn a team-high 10 carries into a game-high 99 rushing yards. I expect him to find success against a Cardinals defense that lost 14 of the 19 defenders who logged 200-plus snaps from last year’s team.
Pettaway scored touchdowns in three of the final six games last season and added receiving scores in two others earlier in the year, making him the team’s most versatile running back."
James Madison vs Louisville odds:
Can James Madison keep this close or will Louisville pull away? Post your picks below!