James Madison Dukes (0-0) vs. Charlotte 49ers (0-0)
August 31, 2024 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Charlotte 49ers +6 / James Madison Dukes -6; Over/Under: +50.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The James Madison Dukes and the Charlotte 49ers meet in week 1 college football action from Jerry Richardson Stadium on Saturday night. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Charlotte vs James Madison Prediction.
James Madison Team Preview
The James Madison Dukes come into the 2024 season looking to take another step in the right direction after an eventful 2023 campaign, finishing the year 11-2 including 7-1 in Sun Belt conference play to win the Sun Belt East division. Because of their two-year transition from FCS, the Dukes weren’t initially eligible for a bowl game and despite multiple waivers, they almost didn’t get a bowl game.
However, because of a lack of bowl-eligible teams, JMU got an invite to the Armed Forces Bowl, a game they lost to Air Force, 31-21. This will be year one of the Bob Chesney era at JMU, and Dylan Morris is expected to be the QB under Chesney from the start. Morris was a backup for the most part in Washington but will be given the chance to lead the Dukes at QB1.
The Dukes lost a lot of their running back depth as well, but Ayo Adeyi transfers in from North Texas after logging over 2,200 yards and 16 touchdowns in the last three years for the Mean Green and Tyler Purdy joins his former OC at Holy Cross, Dean Kennedy, after rushing for just under 1,000 yards last season. Cam Ross transfers in to lead a fairly inexperienced JMU receiving group after leading UConn with 114 receptions last year.
On defense, Immanuel Bush is back at nose tackle, but there are a lot of moving pieces with transfers making up the bulk of the line. Jacob Dobbs comes over from Holy Cross as the likely star at linebacker, while Jacob Thomas and Chauncey Logan are back in the secondary after combining for 99 tackles last season.
Why the James Madison Dukes will win
- James Madison has won 14 of its last 16 games.
- Charlotte has lost each of its last five games at Jerry Richardson Stadium.
- Charlotte has failed to cover the spread in each of its last four home games against non-conference opponents.
- James Madison has covered the spread in each of its last four games as a road favorite.
Charlotte Team Preview
The Charlotte 49ers come into the 2024 season looking to right the ship in year two under Biff Poggi, finishing last year 3-9 overall including a 2-6 mark in AAC conference play. Trexler Ivey is back to battle for the QB1 job, but it’s expected to be Florida transfer Max Brown to lead the race out of the gate after Ivey had issues with turnovers last year, throwing 10 INTs. Cartevious Newton and CJ Stokes are the star transfers at RB for the 49ers while Jairus Mack is back to lead the 49ers’ receivers after recording 453 receiving yards last season.
On defense, Dre Butler and Dre Martin transfer in from Michigan State and South Carolina respectively to bolster Charlotte’s defensive front, while Nikhai Hill-Green is back at linebacker after recording 73 total tackles and 9 TFLs last season. In the secondary, Al-Ma’hi Ali is back and Dontae Balfour returns at corner after finishing 4th in tackles for Charlotte last year, but the secondary for the 49ers also has a ton of transfers that are going to need time to come together more than likely.
Why the Charlotte 49ers will win
- Charlotte has won five of its last six home openers.
Charlotte vs James Madison Prediction
There’s a lot of turnover happening within both sides, but I just trust what JMU is doing a lot more than what Charlotte’s got coming together. The 49ers I think are a team headed in the right direction, but it’s going to take some time to get there and they may not even get there this season. JMU is one of the favorites in the Sun Belt for good reason, while there’s little expectation for Charlotte this season in their own right. I’ll back JMU in this one.
