James Madison vs Appalachian State Prediction & Picks: College Football Week 8

Boone gets a Thursday night game, with James Madison at Appalachian State kicking off Thursday, October 22 at 4:00 PM PT / 7:00 PM ET in Boone, NC. James Madison was a 10.5-point favorite with a total of 55.5 when the guys taped on October 20, and all three of them took Appalachian State +10.5 on the College Football Picks Week 8 episode.

James Madison vs Appalachian State Odds

James Madison was a 10.5-point favorite over Appalachian State with a total of 55.5 when the guys taped on October 20. Ryan read the money line on air as James Madison -420 and Appalachian State +320.

Our Picks

Ryan Kramer (@KramerCentric): Appalachian State +10.5
Sean Green (@SeanTGreen): Appalachian State +10.5
Colby Dant (@thecolbyd): Appalachian State +10.5

Sean framed it as a revenge spot. JMU beat App State 58-10 last November, both teams are on a short week, and App State is coming off a come-from-behind win against Coastal. Ten and a half, he said, just feels like a lot in Boone.

Colby didn’t need convincing. He walked through a few years of these two programs ruining each other’s seasons, with an unbeaten team walking into the other building and leaving with a loss, and landed on the simple version: JMU is 7-0, App is at home, and you take the points. He also cited the defenses as nearly identical in total yards allowed, 65th for JMU and 66th for App State by the numbers he was looking at, and figured App’s offense is better than its stats once you account for its quarterback injuries.

Ryan gave James Madison its due for scoring efficiently once it gets to the red zone. He still couldn’t bring himself to lay a big number with that coaching staff, and he liked the home edge at night with a weekday dog. Sean added that even if App falls behind, he expects them to keep throwing at the JMU defense and chase a backdoor cover.

Hear the full breakdown on the College Football Picks Week 8 episode, or listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Watch every game on YouTube, and download the SGPN app at sg.pn/links. See all our College Football Picks.