Week 14 brings us our final Sun Belt matchup.
The Marshall Thundering Herd (8-3, 6-1 Sun Belt East) visit the Dukes of James Madison (8-3, 4-3 Sun Belt East).
Marshall can clinch a Sun Belt Championship Game appearance with a win, while the Dukes will look to play spoiler to Thundering Herd while adding another win in the win column.
This game will be aired at 8 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
James Madison enters this one as a 3.5-point favorite on the spread with a 52.5-point over/under.
Marshall is coming off five straight wins, while the Dukes are coming in following a road loss at Appalachian State.
These two teams have played each other each of the last two seasons, with James Madison getting the win at Marshall a year ago.
Will the road team continue to be dominant, or can the Dukes finally flip the script for the home team in this series?
Read on for our Marshall vs James Madison predictions and college football picks.
Marshall vs James Madison Prediction
- Marshall vs. James Madison Pick: Marshall +3.5
My Marshall vs. James Madison best bet is on the Knights to cover the spread, with the best line currently available at bet365, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Marshall vs James Madison Odds
| Marshall Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -110 | 52.5 -110 / -110 | +145 |
| James Madison Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -110 | 52.5 -110 / -110 | -170 |
- Marshall vs James Madison Point Spread: Marshall +3.5 (-110) · James Madison -3.5 (-110)
- Marshall vs James Madison Total: Over/Under 52.5
- Marshall vs James Madison Moneyline: Marshall +145 · James Madison -170
Marshall vs James Madison Preview
Marshall Thundering Herd Betting Preview: Eyes on the Prize
Given what's at stake, head coach Charles Huff and the Herd should be motivated and prepared for this game.
Quarterback Braylon Braxton finally took the starting job from Stone Earle, and the Thundering Herd haven't looked back. Braxton has 16 passing touchdowns to only two interceptions, and the team is scoring 31.6 points per game behind his lead.
He's got a great arm, but he's also dangerous in the run game, making the Herd a more balanced offense — they rank 36th nationally in Rush Success Rate and 46th in Rush Explosiveness. They make lives hard with their read-option attack, and Braxton has shown the ability to take the top off the defense when opponents stack the box (43rd nationally in Pass Explosiveness).
Marshall boasts one of the Sun Belt's best defenses, allowing just 24 points per game.
The Herd do well against the pass, ranking 19th nationally in Pass Success Rate allowed, but they are vulnerable to chunk passing plays, ranking 82nd in Pass Explosiveness allowed.
Conversely, the Herd can't stop those short rushing plays, ranking 70th in Rush Success Rate allowed, but they clean up everything in the second level, ranking 28th in Rush Explosiveness allowed.
Additionally, the defense is solid at forcing turnovers, boasting a +9 turnover margin on the season — a couple turnovers might be the key to the upset on Saturday.
James Madison Dukes Betting Preview: Big Opportunity
After losing head coach Curt Cignetti to Indiana in the offseason, Bob Chesney has done a great job in Year 1 with JMU.
The Dukes score. Plain and simple. They average almost 34 points per game, primarily through dual-threat quarterback Alonza Barnett III and running back George Perttaway — they rank 15th nationally in rush rate.
However, they haven't been overly efficient at moving the rock, ranking 70th nationally in Rush Success Rate and 100th in Pass Success Rate, but they've produced major chunk plays on play-action.
The Dukes' defense has been super strong, allowing only 19.5 points per game, ranking top 15 in Success Rate allowed, and ball-hawking at an elite level with a +17 turnover margin.
Marshall vs James Madison
Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Marshall and James Madison match up statistically:
Marshall Offense vs. James Madison Defense
 |  Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 54 | 14 | |
| Line Yards | 22 | 15 | |
| Pass Success | 64 | 11 | |
| Havoc | 18 | 29 | |
| Finishing Drives | 79 | 51 | |
| Quality Drives | 78 | 8 | |
James Madison Offense vs. Marshall Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 36 | 88 | |
| Line Yards | 31 | 62 | |
| Pass Success | 99 | 32 | |
| Havoc | 40 | 24 | |
| Finishing Drives | 78 | 82 |  |
| Quality Drives | 73 | 44 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 22 | 68 |
| PFF Coverage | 3 | 16 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 91 | 29 |
| Middle 8 | 16 | 82 |
| Seconds per Play | 26.2 (45) | 26.9 (61) |
| Rush Rate | 60% (19) | 56% (65) |
Marshall vs James Madison Pick & Prediction
Ultimately, this game, like most games in college football, comes down to which team can take care of the ball.
Both of these teams are pretty even and do a good job of forcing other teams to make mistakes, making it easier for their offenses to get easy points.
With a Sun Belt Conference Championship berth in mind, I figure Marshall will come into this one as the more focused team, so I expect them to keep this game close.
Pick: Marshall +3.5
Marshall vs James Madison Start Time, Channel, Streaming, How To Watch
| Location: | Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, VA |
| Date: | Saturday, Nov. 30 |
| Kickoff Time: | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPNU |
Marshall vs James Madison will be played at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia, on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. ET. You can stream the game live on ESPNU.
