- James Madison’s odds are favored by 7 points vs. Western Kentucky.
- Western Kentucky was hit with 25+ players transferring.
- The spread opened at 3 points to JMU.
BOCA RATON, Fla. – We are seeing a Sun Belt vs. Conference USA matchup in the Boca Raton Bowl between the James Madison Dukes and CUSA runner-ups, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
Western Kentucky vs. JMU
- Moneyline: Western Kentucky (+220) vs. JMU (-270)
- Spread: JMU -7
- Total: 51.5
College football prop betting sites have been all over JMU from the jump in this one. The line originally opened with the Dukes as just a field goal favorite at 3 points before transfers and opt outs for Western Kentucky shifted the line from a field goal to a touchdown.
JMU Set To Dominate A Shorthanded Western Kentucky
The Hilltoppers are seeing 25+ players enter the transfers portal before their bowl game, however, they do have a history of seeing their portal players play in the bowl game under coach Tyson Helton. The only confirmed portal player set to play is starting QB, Caden Veltkamp. It is yet to be seen who else from Western Kentucky will and won’t play.
Despite the uncertainty for Western Kentucky, if there is one thing that is for certain, it is that JMU is going to fully take advantage of whoever comes out on the field and college football sportsbooks could pay the price with just a touchdown margin. The Dukes went just 6-6 against the spread this season, but lead the Sun Belt with a 13.1 winning margin and the top ranked defense in the conference as well allowing just 20.8 ppg.
From a betting perspective, JMU is also 5-1 S/U and 4-2 against the spread in their last six games as a favorite between 6-8 points. Even more specific, they’ve played just two games against CUSA opponents in history since 2022 and are 2-0 both outright and against the spread.
The Hilltoppers, although they finished second in CUSA, did not have as dominant of a season as some might think. Through their 8-5 season, they averaged 25.5 ppg while their opponents were right there with them at 24.5 ppg. They’ve also struggled immensely in their final four games of the year going just 1-3 and have been outscored 119-59 through those four games as well.
