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It is time to continue our college football odds series with a James Madison-Charlotte prediction and pick. Find out how to watch James Madison-Charlotte.
James Madison has been a hugely successful college football program over the past several years, playing for FCS national championships and then making the jump to the FBS level of competition and quickly showing that it could hold its own. JMU thrived last season as an FBS program, going 11-2 and soaring to the top of the Sun Belt Conference. Coach Curt Cignetti, the architect of a blossoming football force, turned in another magnificent season and continued to build on what he had established.
Now comes the big plot twist and a potential problem for James Madison: Cignetti was so successful that he scratched the career itch and left for a Power Four conference program, the Indiana Hoosiers. James Madison has to hope that new coach Bob Chesney, who had previously coached at Holy Cross of the FCS, is up to the task of not only replacing Cignetti but maintaining the same level of consistency his predecessor established. This Week 1 game on the road at Charlotte will be an early and immediate test of Chesney's coaching capabilities in a position where much is expected of him. James Madison has stood for football excellence in recent years; Chesney doesn't want to be remembered as the guy who let a thriving program decline under his watch.
Charlotte enters a new season under coach Biff Poggi, whose team was competitive but didn't finish off games nearly as well as it could have. The 49ers played some 35- and 45-minute games last season. The trick this year will be to play all 60 minutes at a higher level and not have the lulls which turn winnable games into losses.
Here are the James Madison-Charlotte College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: James Madison-Charlotte Odds
James Madison: -8.5 (-115)
Moneyline: -365
Charlotte: +8.5 (-105)
Moneyline: +285
Over: 48.5 (-110)
Under: 48.5 (-110)
How to Watch James Madison vs Charlotte
Time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
TV: ESPNU
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why James Madison Could Cover The Spread/Win
James Madison has been really, really strong over time. It's true that Curt Cignetti is no longer the head coach, something which might negatively affect the program in the long run, but in the short term, this is a team which won 11 games last year. There are lots of guys in the locker room and on the practice field who are used to winning and know what it takes to win. That winner's DNA will propel James Madison to a good season in 2024, and it will be the ingredient which helps JMU win this game and cover the spread. JMU just has to win by 10 points to cover. A 31-21 or 24-14 victory seems just about right for this game, with the Dukes cashing a minus-8.5-point ticket.
Why Charlotte Could Cover The Spread/Win
Biff Poggi has created a competitive team at Charlotte. Winning games outright has been a struggle, but being competitive and contentious has not been a problem. If Charlotte can retain its identity as a plucky team which doesn't make life easy for the opposition, the 49ers — playing at home — can stay close and ultimately cover the spread. James Madison no longer having Curt Cignetti as head coach could be the central and defining factor in this game.
Final James Madison-Charlotte Prediction & Pick
A season-opening game with a first-year head coach is exactly the kind of game to stay away from. Don't bet on this game.
Final James Madison-Charlotte Prediction & Pick: Charlotte +8.5
