The Dukes and Bobcats square off in a Conference USA matchup on Tuesday at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN2. SBR's Mike Spector offers some betting insight in his James Madison vs Texas State prediction:
Game prediction: James Madison -6 (-110 via Caesars)
Over/Under pick: Over 57.5 (-118 via DraftKings)
"Something feels fishy about the line movement in this game, as James Madison clearly has the better record, but saw its line tick down a full point despite receiving 74% of the early wagers. That has me looking to the Over 57.5 as my best bet for this Sun Belt matchup, given how hot both offenses have been.
Both teams can light up the scoreboard
Do not buy much into the fact that James Madison has cashed the Under in six of seven games this year. The Dukes are coming off a 63-27 drubbing of Old Dominion in their homecoming game. They totaled 624 yards and scored at least 14 points in each quarter, while quarterback Alonza Barnett III accounted for six total touchdowns.
James Madison allows the fewest points per game in the conference (15.6) and the fewest yards per game (237). But Texas State entered its last outing ranked in the top 15 nationally in total yards and the top 30 in scoring, and has scored 30 or more points in each game amid a three-game losing streak.
Given that Texas State ranked as the eighth-worst FBS team in defensive stop rate (46.4%) after Week 8, its likely best chance of being competitive in this game is getting into another shootout with the Dukes."
Game prop bet: James Madison team total Over 31.5 (-110 via DraftKings)
"Alonza Barnett's six touchdowns in his last game were one off his career-high. His dual-threat ability makes him nearly impossible for Sun Belt teams to defend, as seen last game, when he averaged 11.8 yards per pass attempt and 9.0 yards per rush on a team-high 17 carries.
Texas State came out of Week 8 as one of 16 FBS teams allowing at least a field goal per opponents’ drive, and James Madison plays up-tempo enough to hang another crooked number on the scoreboard.
There are no player props available as of this writing, but I would play Barnett to score two or more touchdowns at anything involving plus-money odds. In the meantime, I'm backing James Madison to score 32-plus points for the third time in the last five games."
Game prediction: James Madison -6 (-110 via Caesars)
Over/Under pick: Over 57.5 (-118 via DraftKings)
"Something feels fishy about the line movement in this game, as James Madison clearly has the better record, but saw its line tick down a full point despite receiving 74% of the early wagers. That has me looking to the Over 57.5 as my best bet for this Sun Belt matchup, given how hot both offenses have been.
Both teams can light up the scoreboard
Do not buy much into the fact that James Madison has cashed the Under in six of seven games this year. The Dukes are coming off a 63-27 drubbing of Old Dominion in their homecoming game. They totaled 624 yards and scored at least 14 points in each quarter, while quarterback Alonza Barnett III accounted for six total touchdowns.
James Madison allows the fewest points per game in the conference (15.6) and the fewest yards per game (237). But Texas State entered its last outing ranked in the top 15 nationally in total yards and the top 30 in scoring, and has scored 30 or more points in each game amid a three-game losing streak.
Given that Texas State ranked as the eighth-worst FBS team in defensive stop rate (46.4%) after Week 8, its likely best chance of being competitive in this game is getting into another shootout with the Dukes."
Game prop bet: James Madison team total Over 31.5 (-110 via DraftKings)
"Alonza Barnett's six touchdowns in his last game were one off his career-high. His dual-threat ability makes him nearly impossible for Sun Belt teams to defend, as seen last game, when he averaged 11.8 yards per pass attempt and 9.0 yards per rush on a team-high 17 carries.
Texas State came out of Week 8 as one of 16 FBS teams allowing at least a field goal per opponents’ drive, and James Madison plays up-tempo enough to hang another crooked number on the scoreboard.
There are no player props available as of this writing, but I would play Barnett to score two or more touchdowns at anything involving plus-money odds. In the meantime, I'm backing James Madison to score 32-plus points for the third time in the last five games."