Sun Belt Championship Odds & Preview: Troy vs James Madison Prediction

• Troy meets James Madison in the Sun Belt Championship
• The Troy Trojans are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games
• Check out the Sun Belt Championship odds and betting preview for Troy vs JMU

Troy takes on James Madison in the Sun Belt Championship this Friday, December 5th. The Trojans have won two straight games over Georgia State and Southern Miss, while the Dukes enter conference championship week fresh off a 59-10 spanking of Coastal Carolina and riding a 10-game winning streak.

All of the Sun Belt Championship action kicks off from Bridgeforth Stadium at 7pm ET on ESPN tonight.

Lock in on the start of college football conference championship week with my Troy vs James Madison prediction and best bets.

Troy vs James Madison Prediction

• Prediction: James Madison wins and covers

James Madison needs to win this game in convincing fashion to cement their College Football Playoff case and get into the CFP Bracket. There’s simply no other way around it.

A narrow victory over a Troy team that’s been inconsistent for most of the season isn’t going to move the needle with the committee. A 20-plus point victory would certainly be the type of statement to put the Dukes squarely into “don’t count them out” territory heading into the rest of the college football conference championship chaos.

Expect JMU’s top-tier defense to power them to victory on Friday night. The Dukes sit third in the nation while allowing only 263 yards of offense, and are top-10 in points allowed per game (16.5).

On the flip side, the Trojans’ middle-of-the-pack offense scores only 24 points per game, and are averaging a putrid 2.7 yards per carry. That’s not going to cut it against a James Madison defense that excels at rushing the passer.

Bob Chesney may be leaving for UCLA after the season, but his James Madison squad is fully capable of shutting down the Trojans’ offense and booking their spot in the College Football Playoff. JMU is bigger, faster and stronger on both sides of the football, and that advantage will come to the fore on Friday night.

Sun Belt Championship Pick

• Pick: James Madison -23.5 (-106)

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Look for the James Madison defense to throttle an underperforming Troy offense. Troy is 121st in rushing EPA this season, and 113th in rushing success rate overall. Both of which show that the Trojans are an awful offensive team.

Meanwhile, led by quarterback Alonza Barnett, the Dukes are scoring over 37 points per game this season and are a respectable 33rd in offensive success rate. Barnett has thrown for 2,440 yards with 20 touchdowns and just seven interceptions on the year. He’s also a red zone weapon, with 13 rushing scores.

Running back Wayne Knight is the engine behind the Dukes’ attack, rushing for 1,051 yards on the year on an incredible 6.1 yards per carry.

Don’t overthink this one. The Duke’s outstanding trench play will power them to victory. JMU has been destroying its opponents in recent weeks, giving up just 15.7 points per game over the last four games, while scoring 44 a night.

The Dukes have covered the spread in four of their past six games, and are 3-1 ATS this season as favorites of 20 or more points.

Sun Belt Championship Odds

James Madison are massive 23-point favorites in the latest college football odds. The Troy vs James Madison total sits 46.5 with both the over and under at -110.

Bettors are on the Trojans here, with 61% of spread wagers on Troy to cover in the college football public betting splits.

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Odds as of December 4th at FanDuel. Find the best college football betting apps for Troy vs James Madison.