Old Dominion Monarchs (ODU) vs James Madison Dukes (JMU) Pick and Prediction October 18th, 2025
Use Code SSWC The James Madison Dukes will be hosting ODU on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EST in Bridgeforth Stadium. Check out our Old Dominion Monarchs vs James Madison Dukes pick and prediction here!
The Monarchs are currently 5th in the SBC East division with a 1-1 conference record and a 4-2 record overall. They have some work to do on the road, as they are 1-2 away from home. They are also looking to avoid dropping a second game in a row with a win here. Meanwhile, James Madison is at the top of the SBC East with a 3-0 conference record and a 5-1 overall record. The Dukes have won their last four in a row and they are an undefeated 3-0 at home this season. The Dukes are favored by one point while the total is set at 47.5 points. Can Old Dominion hand James Madison their first conference loss of the season with a win on the road here?
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Monarchs Looking for More
Old ODU fell to Marshall by a score of 48-24 in their most recent contest. Colton Joseph completed 15/28 passes for 266 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions on the day. He and Maurki James each had a rushing touchdown on the day, but the latter led the ground game with 83 yards on 12 carries. Tre Bown needed only one reception to lead the team in receiving yards with 71, and he also made it a TD reception. Jerome Carter had three tackles and four tackle assists to lead the defense, while nobody managed a sack or an interception on the day.
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Joseph has taken the majority of reps at the QB position for Old Dominion, completing 63.2% of his passes for 1,481 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Joseph barely has the edge in rushing as well, with 483 yards on 64 carries with six touchdowns to lead the squad. Ja'Cory Thomas leads the receivers with 397 yards, but Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding has the most receptions on the season with 25 and a team-high five touchdown receptions. Carter has a total of 44 tackles, while Keshawn Thomas has a team-high 2.5 sacks. Nickendre Stiger has the most passes defended with five and Carter is the only player on the Monarchs to have multiple interceptions on the season. Twelve players are listed on the injury report for ODU, including Carter and Thomas. Carter is one of two players who are probable to play, while Thomas and three others are questionable. The rest are out for Saturday's matchup.
Dukes in Charge
JMU earned a 24-14 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette in their most recent outing. Alonza Barnett III went 26/40 for 290 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, while Wayne Knight got 20 carries for 111 yards. Landon Ellis had the most receiving yards by far with 120 and caught all three TD passes, but Braeden Wisloski had a team-high seven receptions. Elijah Culp led the defense with four tackles and three tackle assists, while Sahir West and Aiden Gobaira each recorded a sack. Jacob Thomas secured the lone interception on the day for the Dukes.
Barnett III continues to lead the Dukes with a 60.3% completion rate, 957 yards passing, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions. Wayne Knight is the primary rusher for James Madison with 537 yards on 81 carries. Interestingly, Barnett III has the most rushing touchdowns on the year with five compared to Knight's four. Landon Ellis remains the obvious #1 wide receiver with 303 yards and five of the eight TD receptions. Trent Hendrick has the most total tackles on the year with 43 while nobody else has more than 32. DJ Barksdale leads the unit with five passes defended and Jacob Thomas is the only one with multiple interceptions on the year. Hendrick and Gobaira are tied for the team lead with three sacks each as well. Only three players are listed on the injury report for the Dukes, with one listed as probable, one as questionable, and one as out.
Old Dominion vs. James Madison Pick
Spread Pick for ODU vs JMU
- James Madison -1 (4 units)
All the signs point to James Madison here, especially with the spread so low. James Madison is undefeated at home thus far and they have won each of the last three meetings against Old Dominion. James Madison is far and away the healthier team in this one, particularly since a couple of key players for Old Dominion are listed as questionable. James Madison has all the momentum with a four-game winning streak heading into this contest and the Monarchs are a little more limited in the ground game, considering their top rusher is their quarterback. James Madison has a more balanced attack on offense that should be able to get the win here.
Over/Under pick for ODU vs JMU
- Over 47.5 (4 units)
These two squads have hit the over in the last two meetings against each other and the Monarchs are 6-2-1 in their last nine games overall on the over, dating back to last year. Considering Old Dominion gave up 48 points to Marshall last week, I feel more comfortable banking on James Madison to score around 27-30 points here with the Monarchs doing enough to reach the over. Old Dominion has scored no less than 21 points in each of their last five games and James Madison has scored 30+ points in each of their three meetings against Old Dominion.
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