← Matchups

James Madison

SBC · 2-0 · power +14.1 · #59
Our side · spreadJMU +1.5 our number JMU -0.1 · 1.6 pts from the market our number starts from the opening line and is corrected +0.3 for this matchup by our data on both teams

San Diego State

MWC · 1-1 · power +11.8 · #76
Our side
SpreadJMU +1.5 ours JMU -0.1
TotalOver 46.5 ours 48.7
MoneylineJMU to win ours 49% · book 52%
Distance from the market 1.6 pts / +2.2 total a caution, not a signal
Projected score 24–24 JMU – SDSU
2026-09-19 · 10:00 PM Snapdragon Stadium · San Diego, CA Early season

The books 3 account books · tap any price — the ticket builds at that book

Book JMU spreadSDSU spread OverUnder JMU winSDSU win JMU TT overJMU TT under SDSU TT overSDSU TT under
DraftKings
FanDuel
BetMGM

The gold price is the best available on that side; a gold marks the side our number implies — a read, not a pick. TT is a team total — that team’s own points, not the game’s; columns are empty where no book hangs one. Send to book opens whichever book you tapped, not the one we would have picked. Prices are the books’ own.

Ours vs the market

SpreadJames Madison -0.1
the marketSan Diego State -1.5
Total48.7
the market46.5
San Diego State win49% vs 52%

Both percentages are San Diego State’s chance to win — ours, then the book’s with the vig removed, medianed across the books we track.

What the gap has been worth 10,740 games · 2016–2025

0–3 pts52.0%
3–750.2%
7–1449.3%
14+46.8%

How often the side we favoured covered, by how far our number sat from the market’s. Break-even at −110 is 52.4% — no bucket reaches it, and the rate falls as we disagree more. The further we sit from the market, the worse we have done.

Public vs booksbets vs money · Action Network captured 2 hr ago total Over 95% bets · 95% money
First recorded meeting between these programs
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game even 17 ranks apart
James Madison Dukes #36 rush offense San Diego State Aztecs #53 run defense
Pass game edge San Diego State Aztecs 82 ranks
James Madison Dukes #85 pass offense San Diego State Aztecs #3 pass defense
Run game edge James Madison Dukes 53 ranks
San Diego State Aztecs #74 rush offense James Madison Dukes #21 run defense
Pass game edge James Madison Dukes 186 ranks
San Diego State Aztecs #211 pass offense James Madison Dukes #25 pass defense
James Madison Dukes Run-heavy · 62% run Ball-control Dual-threat QB · 42 rush ypg San Diego State Aztecs Run-heavy · 66% run Ball-control
Bob Chesney · 21-6 Sean Lewis · 36-44 · defense-minded

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
James Madison Dukes
K Morgan Suarez 3 FG · 14 XP · 23 pts #20 K
RB George Pettaway 99 rush yds · 4 TD #76 RB
DB Ken Willis 14 tkl #273 DB
RB Nick Herman 135 rush yds · 2 TD · 2 rec #160 RB
San Diego State Aztecs
DB Mike Lindsay 5 tkl · 1 PD · 2 INT #155 DB
RB Lucky Sutton 139 rush yds · 3 TD #105 RB
DL Gavriel Lightfoot 8 tkl · 1.0 TFL #306 DL
DB Jelani McLaughlin 13 tkl · 1 PD #346 DB

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
James Madison DukesSBC +14.1 +10.4 +3.8 #59
San Diego State AztecsMWC +11.8 +2.7 +9.1 #76

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
James Madison offense vs San Diego State defense+1.3 pts
San Diego State offense vs James Madison defense-1.1 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 2,168 mi
Altitude · context only378 m lower than the visitor's home elevation

An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.

Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them. Adding them again would double-count.