Both Louisville and James Madison are coming off hot starts to their season, as both teams are 1-0 for 2025. One of these teams will be losing for the first time on Sept. 5 as they face off at the L&N Stadium in Kentucky. The question is, which of them has the better odds of winning?
James Madison vs. Louisville: Key Players to Watch
For James Madison, junior quarterback Alonza Barnett III will be one to watch, with this being his second year as the Dukes’ starting quarterback. He completed 60% of his passes for 2,598 yards and 26 touchdowns last season, and he only had four interceptions. Alonzo was dominant in the season opener win over Weber State, as he completed 14 of 22 passes for 130 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed five times for 30 yards.
The Dukes QB1 will be looking for running back George Pettaway, who led the Dukes in rushing last season with 980 rushing yards on 162 carries and had five touchdowns.
As expected, Louisville is no slouch on the field either, as the Cardinals are led by redshirt senior QB Miller Moss, who transferred in during the offseason from USC. He completed 64.4% of his passes and threw for 2,555 yards and 18 touchdowns last season, though he had nine interceptions.
The player that Moss will likely try to find on the field would be sophomore running back Isaac Brown, who was big in that opener against Eastern Kentucky. He had six carries for 126 yards and scored two touchdowns, and he also had a long carry of 68 yards during that win.
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Odds and Betting Lines for James Madison vs. Louisville
Louisville is considered a much larger program than James Madison and has far better tools. That being said, oddsmakers believe that the Louisville Cardinals have a much better chance of winning than the James Madison Dukes on Friday.
DraftKings has Louisville at a -13.5 spread and -550 moneyline with a total of 55.5 (-112 over/ -108 under). Meanwhile, the James Madison Dukes are +13.5 and +410 on the moneyline, with a total of 55.5 (-112 over/ -108 under).
Picks and Predictions for FIU for James Madison vs. Louisville
There is no doubt that Louisville are the betting favorites, but as many of the Week 1 and Week 0 games have shown, upsets can happen. In spite of this, the Louisville Cardinals are likely to beat the James Madison Dukes in dominant fashion.
Offensively, James Madison boasts a good rushing attack, but overall, Louisville has shown that they are better offensively. They are coming off that statement win against Eastern Kentucky, 51-17, and are expected to do the same against James Madison.
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