- The #24 James Madison Dukes are 2-point favorites over the Air Force Falcons in the Armed Forces Bowl on Saturday, December 23
- It’s the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the football field
- The Dukes are 5-1 ATS away from home this season
Playing in a bowl game for the first time as an FBS school, the #24 James Madison Dukes (11-1, 8-4 ATS) will be also facing the Air Force Falcons (8-4, 4-8 ATS) for the first time on a football field as the two schools clash in the Armed Forces Bowl.
In just their second season as an FBS school, the Dukes were ineligible for bowl play, but got into the Armed Forces Bowl when there weren’t enough schools meeting the bowl eligibility requirements to fill all 82 bowl-game slots. James Madison were two-time FCS champions before moving up to college football’s top division.
It’s the Dukes who are set as a 2-point favorites over the Falcons in the JMU vs Air Force odds. The Falcons are 0-4 straight up and against the spread in their last four games.
Looking more deeply into the JMU vs Air Force picks, we’ll offer you our prediction for this NCAA football bowl game.
JMU vs Air Force Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| JMU Dukes | -125 | -2 (-110) | Over 40.5 (-105) |
| Air Force Falcons | +105 | +2 (-110) | Under 40.5 (-115) |
In the JMU vs Air Force odds, the Dukes are -125 moneyline favorites, giving them a 55.56% implied win probability. The total is set at 40.5 points. James Madison is 4-2 on the over/under this season when the total is less than 50 points.
Odds as of Dec. 21 at ESPN BET. Check out our ESPN BET promo before betting on Dukes vs Falcons and other college football bowl game action. And don’t forget to input the promo code “DIME” when signing up at ESPN BET to get your $250 in bonus bets.
The Falcons are playing in their 30th bowl game. Air Force is 15-13-1 SU all-time. The Falcons have won their last four bowl game appearances, including a 30-15 decision over Baylor in last year’s Armed Forces. Bowl. It’s the seventh appearance for Air Force in this bowl. The Falcons are 2-4 SU in previous Armed Forces Bowls. JMU was 24-16 in FCS playoff games prior to moving up to the FBC last year.
Kickoff for this game at Amon G Carter Stadium on Saturday, December 23 is set for 3:30 pm ET. The broadcast is being carried by ABC/ESPN.
Dukes vs Falcons Betting Trends
In the college football public betting splits, the people are on board with JMU. The favored Dukes are pulling 90% of handle and 92% of bets in the spread splits. James Madison is 8-2 ATS in the last 10 games.
It’s also all JMU in the moneyline splits. There’s 60% of handle and 79% of bets backing the Dukes. James Madison is 13-1 SU in the school’s last 14 games as the betting favorite.
The over is getting the people’s action on the total, to the tune of 91% of handle and 90% of bets. The Dukes have gone over in four of their past five games. However, four of the last six games played by the Falcons went under.
Dukes Get It Done On Both Sides Of Ball
Opening the season 10-0 SU, JMU went 7-1 in Sun Belt Conference play. The Dukes rank among the NCAA top 20 in both scoring offense (18th overall, 35.2 points per game) and scoring defense (18th overall, 18.5 points allows per game).
The JMU defense is leading the nation in rushing defense (61.5 yards per game allowed), tackles for loss (9.1) and yards per rush allowed (2.09). The Dukes rank second in both sacks (3.75) and blocked punts (2).
Jordan McCloud 2023 stats
🏈 262/380
🏈 3,413 yards
🏈 32 TDs
🏈 9 INTs
🏈 68.9%
🏈 167.4 rating
🏈 92 carries
🏈 311 yards
🏈 8 TDs pic.twitter.com/dEf6MXsnFG— Chalupa Batman (@CoreyCarmona) December 4, 2023
Offensively, QB Jordan McCloud, the Sun Belt Conference player of the year, has thrown for 3,400 yards and 32 touchdowns. Both Elijah Sarratt (1,076 yards and eight TDs) and Reggie Brown (1,010 yards and a team-leading nine TDs) are over 1,000 yards in receptions. McCloud and Sarratt have entered the transfer portal but are expected to play.
Falcons Run To Daylight
It may seem like an anomaly, but it’s been the Air Force way on the gridiron for years. The Falcons’ favorite form of attack is the ground game.
Air Force ranks #2 in the nation with 275.8 rushing yards per game. The 33 rushing TDs scored by the Falcons ranks fifth overall in the country.
Air Force QB Zac Larrier, who wasn’t supposed to start today due to injury, just threw the longest TD pass (94 yards) in school history to draw first blood against Navy. pic.twitter.com/nubJ9zi6RX
— Dean Straka (@DWStraka49) October 21, 2023
As befits the Air Force, it takes a squadron to get it done in the run game. Senior FB Emmanauel Michel leads the Falcons with 747 yards on the ground. That’s good for 83rd in the nation. Senior QB Zac Larrier has rushed for 579 yards. Three other ball carriers have gained in excess of 430 yards rushing.
JMU vs Air Force Prediction
The Dukes will be without head coach Curt Cignetti, who left to take the Indiana job. Damian Wroblewski is the acting head coach.
Air Force needs to run the ball to succeed and James Madison is the nation’s #1 run defense. Larrier will be back from injury, but it won’t be enough for the Falcons to soar.
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JMU vs Air Force Pick:
- JMU Dukes -2 (-110)
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