James Madison vs Charlotte Odds
| James Madison Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7 -110 | 47.5 -115o / -105u | -270 |
| Charlotte Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7 -110 | 47.5 -115o / -105u | +220 |
- Point Spread: James Madison -7 (-110) · Charlotte +7 (-110)
- Total: Over/Under 47.5
- Moneyline: James Madison -270 · Charlotte +220
James Madison won the Sun Belt East in each of its first two seasons at the FBS level but was unable to compete in the conference title game due to an NCAA rule — a stupid NCAA rule.
However, that stipulation is now over, and the Dukes are eligible for the postseason. They'll need to get there without Curt Cignetti, who left for Indiana this offseason.
Bob Chesney comes in as the new head coach after a very successful run at Holy Cross. Chesney went 44-21 with four playoff appearances in six years with the Crusaders. Prior to his time at Holy Cross, he went 23-9 at Salve Regina and 44-16 at Assumption. He was a phenomenal hire.
Charlotte enters its second season under Biff Poggi after a disappointing 3-9 year.
Poggi has done a great job bringing in pieces from the transfer portal, especially drop-downs from Power 4 teams. The question, is how many of them will be on the field Saturday? Poggi announced at his weekly press conference that nearly half of his starters were injured during fall camp and will be unavailable for the opener.
That makes this game difficult to handicap, as we don’t know exactly who will suit up for Charlotte. But we'll do our best, so check out our James Madison vs. Charlotte prediction and preview below.
James Madison vs Charlotte Prediction
- James Madison vs Charlotte Pick: Under 48 or Better
My James Madison-Charlotte best bet is on the under, with the best line currently available at FanDuel, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
James Madison vs Charlotte Preview
James Madison Dukes Betting Preview: Big Changes in Harrisonburg
The big story with James Madison is how many players it lost from its dominant teams over the last two years. Six starters on defense followed Cignetti to Indiana, along with running back Kaelon Black and wide receiver Elijah Sarratt.
Quarterback Jordan McCloud, meanwhile, transferred to Texas State, and Reggie Brown, Jalen Green and Jamree Kromah left for the NFL. This is a full rebuild in Harrisonburg — but the cupboard isn't totally empty.
Quarterback Dylan Morris transferred in from Washington after four seasons with the Huskies. He was the starter in 2021 before losing his job to Michael Penix Jr. He finished with 20 touchdowns in his Pac-12 career.
James Madison also brings in running backs George Pettaway from North Carolina and Ayo Adeyi from North Texas.
However, the wide receiver room will be inexperienced.
On the other side, the defense was absolutely gutted and lost nearly every starter. Only two starters return for the Dukes in cornerback Chauncey Logan and safety Jacob Thomas. However, a bunch of these players did see the field last year in rotational roles.
Linebackers Trent Hendrick and Taurus Jones each had over 20 tackles last season. They will be joined in the middle of the field by FCS transfer Jacob Dobbs, who Chesney brought over from Holy Cross. Dobbs was an FCS All-American linebacker and a two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year. He will be a key piece for this defense.
Charlotte 49ers Betting Preview: Injuries Galore
The 49ers offense really struggled in their first season under offensive coordinator Mike Miller. They rotated two quarterbacks, and both Trexler Ivey and Jalon Jones struggled.
Charlotte finished the year with seven passing touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
The Niners to the portal for a solution, nabbing Florida transfer Max Brown. He's a solid dual-threat option who should be a massive upgrade over what the 49ers had last year.
He wasn’t the only portal addition, as Charlotte also grabbed tackles from Texas A&M, Florida and Clemson, a guard from Tennessee, and running backs from Iowa State and Michigan.
Leading receivers Jairus Mack and Jack Hestera are both back and hope to catch more passes with the upgrade at quarterback.
Defensively, the 49ers weren’t terrible last season. They ranked 51st nationally in Success Rate, and this unit was especially strong against the run.
The entire defensive line is gone, but they bring back linebacker Prince Bemah and cornerback Dontae Balfour as the top two returnees.
Much like the offense, the defense will be one big question of transfer portal additions.
The 49ers bring in cornerbacks from Boston College, Cincinnati and Virginia Tech, safeties from Iowa State and Louisville, and defensive linemen from South Carolina and Miami.
James Madison vs Charlotte Pick & Prediction
It's hard to put any stock into James Madison’s numbers from last year because it’s an entirely new team and staff.
Defense was the clear strength of the Dukes, and they do have a few holdover pieces from that team. New defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill was the coordinator at Duke for the last two seasons and led the Blue Devils to a top-20 scoring defense in 2023.
While I like the pieces James Madison brought in on offense, it will have a new quarterback, running back, all new wide receivers and a new system that may take some time to install.
Charlotte will also have a new quarterback, new running back and an entirely new offensive line that I have major questions about. I expect the offenses to take longer to adjust than the defenses.
This line and total both moved a ton following Poggi’s press conference discussing the number of injuries. Despite his refusing to name the players or their positions, the spread moved from James Madison -6.5 to -9, and the over/under dropped from 50.5 to 48.
I loved the under in this matchup prior to all the injury uncertainty, and while it's definitely more of a risk, I still like the under at 48 or better.
So many of the faces on Charlotte’s defense are new anyway. I’m not sure any of them being out would move the needle all that much unless it was the entire defense.
But if one of the key offensive pieces is out, that would likely make a bigger difference. I simply have more confidence in these defenses.
Pick: Under 48 or Better
How to Watch James Madison vs Charlotte Live: Start Time, TV Channel, Location
| Location: | Jerry Richardson Stadium, Charlotte, NC |
| Date: | Saturday, Aug. 31 |
| Kickoff Time: | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPNU |
James Madison vs Charlotte Betting Trends
- The Dukes have taken 78% of the bets but have landed only 55% of the money.
- The over has garnered 58% of tickets but only 33% of the cash.
James Madison vs Charlotte Weather
