After finishing the regular season 11-1, the James Madison Dukes take on the 8-4 Air Force Falcons as 2.5-point favorites in a game with a 41.0-point total. Let’s dive into our James Madison-Air Force odds, pick and prediction for this year’s Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. If you’re looking for more college football bets, check out our college football betting tools and our guide to betting on football.
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Pick: James Madison-Air Force Bet
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Odds
Odds via bet365
James Madison: -140 | Air Force: +120
James Madison -2.5: -110 | Air Force +2.5: -110
Over 41.0: -110 | Under 41.0: -110
Expert: Matt Gajewski
Time: Saturday, Dec. 23 at 3:30 p.m. ET
James Madison-Air Force News & Notes
James Madison Absence: iOL Tyler Stephens, OT Tyshanw Wyatt, OT Nick Kidwell, DL James Carpenter, Edge Mikail Kamara, LB Taurus Jones, LB Aiden Fisher, Edge Jalen Green, RB TySon Lawton
James Madison Coaching Changes: Curt Cignetti
Air Force Absences: RB John Lee Eldridge, S Camby Goff, CB Jerome Gaillard, S CJ Boyd Jr., TE Caleb Rillos
Air Force Coaching Changes: N/A
James Madison-Air Force Comparison
| Metric | James Madison | Air Force |
|---|---|---|
| Pace | 93rd | 131st |
| Overall Offense | 43rd | 14th |
| Run Blocking | 66th | 1st |
| Pass Blocking | 66th | 56th |
| Pass Rate | 43rd | 133rd |
| Overall Defense | 10th | 14th |
| Run Defense | 4th | 28th |
| Pass Rush | 28th | 48th |
| Coverage | 15th | 9th |
Lockheed Martin Armed Forced Bowl Pick & Prediction
After starting the year 8-0, Air Force dropped their last four games due to multiple key injuries. On the other side, James Madison finished 11-1 and missed their conference title due to eligibility rules. Interestingly, Air Force has a chance to come in healthier with multiple weeks of rest, while James Madison reels from multiple portal departures and a head coaching change.
On offense, James Madison signal caller Jordan McCloud will play in this game despite entering the transfer portal. However, he will have his work cut out for him after losing running back Ty Son Lawtonand interior offensive lineman Tyler Stephens to the portal.
On top of that, Nick Kidwell is out for the year and Tyshawn Wyatt missed James Madison’s last game on the offensive line.
As for the Air Force defense, the statuses of Jerome Gaillard and CJ Boyd have not been updated ahead of this game.
Air Force played elite defense over the course of 2023, but injuries limited their effectiveness down the stretch. This unit proved particularly effective against the run, which should neutralize James Madison’s primary offensive strength in this game.
As for the Air Force offense, quarterback Zac Larrier, running back Emmanuel Michel, and wide receivers Jared Roznos and Dane Kinamon all missed time in their final four games. Fortunately for the Falcons, all four have returned to practice ahead of this bowl game. Larrier’s status looms large as the engine of the offense. Without him, Air Force averaged just 15.5 points per game over their final four games.
As long as Larrier plays, Air Force should be able to execute their triple option offense. The James Madison defense projects to miss five starters in their front seven due to injury/transfer portal. This unit ranked tenth against the run this year, but most of that unit will be away from the team in this game. Because of this potential mismatch, playing a perennially motivated Air Force team at an underdog price looks viable.
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Pick & Prediction and our James Madison-Air Force Bet: Air Force +2.5 -110 at bet365
