Oregon vs. James Madison Expert Score Predictions: Ducks look to begin a run in the College Football Playoff
Oregon will play a first round game this season after having the bye last year. The Ducks attempt to begin their run with a win over James Madison.
The Oregon Ducks begin their quest for a national championship with a matchup against James Madison on Saturday night.
James Madison got a non-Power Four bid to get into the College Football Playoff and now they have to travel to Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. Oregon is set to be the heavy favorite in this game against 12-1 James Madison. Our experts weigh in on the game below.
Oregon 37, James Madison 14
The Ducks are getting healthy at the right time and even if they don’t get their wide receivers back this game, it’s a good sign that they will soon. Despite not getting a first-round bye, the Ducks have a good draw here in a game they should win rather comfortably. Oregon’s only blemish on the season was a loss back to Indiana on Nov. 11, otherwise, the Ducks have rolled through their season. Dan Lanning’s team grabbing their first CFP win after being eliminated by Ohio State in the quarterfinal last season is key. There is no pressure of being the No. 1 seed for Oregon this year and I see them starting out with a three-score win over James Madison. — Brandon Little
Oregon 38, JMU 24
All of the discussion has been about whether or not James Madison deserves to be in the College Football Playoff. The discussion should be about the game, and the Dukes can compete. They don’t have a win in the top 50 and their only loss was in that range, a 14-point defeat to the Louisville Cardinals. The reality is this Dukes team has the chops to play with the big boys, but it won’t be enough to get the win over an Oregon team that is often dominant against lesser competition. This is going to be a win for the Ducks, but the Dukes will make this competitive. Heck, Boise State was more competitive than the Tennessee Volunteers, Clemson Tigers, and SMU Tigers. Don’t mock the Group of Five, prove it on the field. — Tyler Forness
Oregon 63, James Madison 10
Everyone loves rooting for the underdog but that isn’t going to go very well this time around. Oregon just has way too many athletes to deal with, including a deep running back room and an elite tight end in Kenyon Sadiq. James Madison is also extremely undermanned up front, which should hurt them big time. Expect a clean day from quarterback Dante Moore. James Madison scores a touchdown late against the backup Ducks defense to make the game look more respectable. — Ryan Roberts
Oregon 35, James Madison 13
This is one of the CFP matchups I don’t expect to be very close by the second half of play, but maybe JMU can surprise some folks. I won’t predict that here, though. Instead, I expect the Ducks to find a lot of success on the ground early on and push themselves out to a sizable lead. The Dukes have been great content on social media leading up to this matchup, but I just don’t think they have the physicality to match up well with Dan Lanning’s team on either side of the ball. I’ll take Oregon in a convincing victory. — Adam Holt
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