Posted at 10:00 AM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle +169  BET365 +170  Sportsinteraction +166  888Sport +170

Utah St +170 over James Madison

Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium – Logan, UT

8:00 PM EST. “Sticking with it” is a philosophy we endorse and this game is a prime example of that. We backed Utah State last week against Air Force as a 9½-point pup and knew we had a dead ticket after Utah State was down 22-0 after one quarter. That awful start and result makes it harder to come back on USU this week but not for us. 

Utah State’s loss to Air Force in a game they also trailed 39-7 at one point was a Friday night nationally-televised game that left an impression with the market. Air Force made Utah State look like a high school football team. Anyone that faded Utah State likely can’t wait to fade them again.

Meanwhile, James Madison is 3-0 on the year with a win over an ACC school on the road (Virginia) and at defending Sun Belt Champion Troy. Two noteworthy wins compared to Utah State’s only win which came against FCS Idaho State.

When comparing JMU’s résumé to Air Force’s résumé, JMU’s is more impressive and Utah State’s stock is lower now than it was a week ago. The Aggies left a seriously negative lasting impression last week. 

Incidentally, Utah State made a change at quarterback in freshman McCae Hillstead and he was responsible for helping generate all 21 points against the Falcons. He will be under center here and the Aggie faithful will be doing a “white-out”.

If each team brings its best, it would be hard to lay points in this matchup of two squads that are not that far apart. We’re not convinced for a second that JMU has more talent than the Aggies. If we dig a little deeper, though, James Madison not only has to travel 2000 miles to Utah, but they have to make sure they don't overlook this opponent after last week’s massive game and next week’s massive showdown against South Alabama. This is also JMU’s third straight road game. JMU is now asked to play the role of a significant road favorite after being a 2½-point underdog at Troy and squeaking out a hard-fought 16-14 win. An upset here is highly probable, which is precisely the way we’re going to play it.

Sherwood

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------