Ducks Are Going To Destroy James Madison

James Madison vs. Oregon, 7:30

I’m not really sure why this is the premier game of the day. You’re telling me that the first round of the College Football Playoffs starts with the best game of the day early, then ends with likely the worst game of the day? I’m not sure how that worked out for the scheduling, but perhaps it is due to the game being played on the West Coast. Either way, this should be an absolute laugher. I know that I am disrespecting James Madison, but the reality is that they have no chance against Oregon.

James Madison enters the game at 12-1 for the season, and they are the winners of the Sun Belt Conference. I’m all for reserving spots for each conference so they can say they had a chance to win the National Championship, and provide the illusion that these teams are equal in some way. The reality, though is that they aren’t. One look at the James Madison schedule will tell you that this team is the best of a mediocre group of teams. I feel like I need to justify this by listing their schedule: Weber State, Liberty, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Louisiana, Old Dominion, Texas State, Marshall, App State, Washington State, Costal Carolina, and Troy. No disrespect to any of those teams or programs, but that’s not the gauntlet that other teams have had to run through this season. The Dukes are 12-1, and I didn’t even list the team they lost to this season above. They fell 28-14 to Louisville, who is a pretty solid team and did have a tougher schedule. I’m not saying that James Madison can’t make any noise in this game, but do we really think they are putting up 17 points? Probably not. 

HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA - NOVEMBER 22: Alonza Barnett III #14 of James Madison Dukes in action in the second quarter during a game against Washington State Cougars at Bridgeforth Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Harrisonburg, Virginia. (Photo by Brien Aho/Getty Images)

Oregon is one of the few teams that are playing this opening week that I feel like has a legitimate shot at winning the National Championship. They don’t have the luxury of a bye week, but this is as close to a bye week as you can get. They are essentially playing in a tune-up game, which might be nice for them because then they have the added advantage of not being rusty. The old rest vs. rust conversation comes into play rather frequently, but I personally think it matters more in baseball than any other sport. Let’s take a look at who Oregon has played this season on their way to an 11-1 record. They played Montana State, Oklahoma State, Northwestern, Oregon State, Penn State, Rutgers, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, USC, and Washington. All of those teams, with the exception of Montana State, are better than the opponents that James Madison has faced. In fairness, Oregon lost to Indiana 30-20 at home this season, so that is their lone loss. At home, outside of their loss, they allowed exactly one team to score more than 13 points, which was USC, and the Ducks still won by 15. 

This is going to be a massacre. The books know it. You know it. I know it. Hell, both teams know it will be a blood bath. The question is how motivated are the Ducks to hold their opponent to not scoring? I personally think they will be. I’m going to take the under 14.5 team total for James Madison. Frankly, I think they only score 13 or fewer, so under 13.5 is fine if you want to go with plus/even money. Oregon, at home, against an overmatched team, doesn’t lead to a lot of points. Back the team total under for James Madison.

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