Old Dominion vs James Madison prediction, odds, pick, how to watch college football Week 9 game
college football odds series for our Old Dominion James Madison prediction and pick. Find how to watch Old Dominion James Madison.
The James Madison Dukes have become one of the biggest stories of the 2023 college football season. Making the jump from the FCS to the FBS is a daunting move. For schools which make this transition, one should normally expect a rough ride at the start of the journey, but James Madison is making something extremely difficult look comparatively easy. JMU is 7-0 so far this season, putting the Dukes alongside Air Force as an unbeaten Group of Five team. Whenever a school is not only ambitious, but then turns that ambition into instant success at a higher level of competition, lots of other schools in that same position — or contemplating the same move — will be emboldened to try for the same achievements and see if it can make the quantum leap.
James Madison's quality will be tested each remaining week of the regular season. The Dukes will get everyone's best shot, since every opponent will want to be known and remembered as the team which knocked JMU from the ranks of the unbeaten. Every opponent wants to be the first team to handle the Dukes and ruin their 2023 season. Last week, JMU received a tough test from Marshall for three quarters before pulling away in the fourth. The best teams might get a challenge from underdogs for 30 or 45 minutes, but they establish a high standard because they wear down their opponents over the course of the full 60 minutes.
Here are the Old Dominion-James Madison College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Old Dominion-James Madison Odds
Old Dominion Monarchs: +20.5 (-106)
James Madison Dukes: -20.5 (-114)
Over: 48.5 (-112)
Under: 48.5 (-108)
How To Watch Old Dominion vs James Madison
Time: 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT
TV: ESPNU
Why Old Dominion Could Cover the Spread
The spread is very large, and while Old Dominion isn't nearly as good as James Madison, the Monarchs are going to treat this game as their Super Bowl for the 2023 season. Every opponent for James Madison will play with increased intensity and should be able to bring more physicality to the field. As long as the bottom doesn't fall out for Old Dominion — more than one turnover, special teams collapses, huge downfield passes allowed — and the Monarchs can shut off the big play for James Madison, they should be able to keep this game's margin within 20 points, which would enable them to cover.
Why James Madison Could Cover the Spread
The Dukes are in a class of their own. They have answered every challenge this season. They are also coming off a win in a weeknight game last week. This has given them a few more days off to rest and recharge. Really good college football teams will often have letdown games over the course of a season, but the extra rest in this situation should help JMU guard against that possibility. James Madison struggled on offense in the first two and a half quarters of its recent game against Marshall. That was on the road. Returning home before a boisterous crowd, the Dukes should be a lot more efficient on offense, and that will enable them to blow the doors off this game.
Final Old Dominion-James Madison Prediction & Pick
This is a game worth staying away from. The possibility of an underdog playing above its level of quality is always a possibility, but it's not something you want to bank on, either. It's not a good betting situation.
Final Old Dominion-James Madison Prediction & Pick: Old Dominion +20.5
