James Madison vs. Southern Miss Prediction, Spread, NCAAF Picks – Thursday, November 5

The Sun Belt will take center stage when two of the conference’s more productive offenses face off this evening. The Southern Miss Golden Eagles will host the James Madison Dukes on Thursday, November 5, with the game kicking off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

The Dukes are a 13.5-point favorite on the spread, via PrizePicks.

James Madison began the season 7-0 but has lost each of its last two games in overtime. Meanwhile, Southern Miss has a 3-5 record but has recorded back-to-back wins, including a 35-21 victory against UL Monroe last week. 

Below, we’ll break down our James Madison vs. Southern Miss prediction and picks for Thursday night’s game, including the spread, over/under, and player projections for PrizePicks.

Make your James Madison vs. Southern Miss picks on PrizePicks now!

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James Madison vs. Southern Miss Prediction, Spread, Over/Under – Thursday, November 5

James Madison enters Thursday's game as a 13.5-point favorite against Southern Miss, returning a 1.14x payout if it wins outright, via PrizePicks — or $114 on a $100 entry if you’re right.

Here are the full payouts for James Madison vs. Southern Miss. PrizePicks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.

Make your James Madison vs. Southern Miss prediction on the spread on PrizePicks.

James Madison qualified for the College Football Playoff during the 2025 season under former head coach Bob Chesney but fell to Oregon in the opening round. Despite Chesney leaving for the UCLA job, the Dukes didn’t miss a beat under new head coach Billy Napier as they began the 2026 campaign.

JMU raced out to a 7-0 start and outscored its opponents 300-112 during that span. However, James Madison has hit a rough patch recently, losing to Appalachian State and Troy in overtime each of the past two weeks. 

In last week’s overtime loss against Troy, James Madison led 21-7 at halftime but was shut out thereafter in a 24-21 defeat. One of the biggest reasons for the loss was 5 turnovers, including Troy S Justin Powe recording a 37-yard pick-six in the third quarter. 

James Madison has been one of the Sun Belt's most dynamic offenses, averaging a conference-leading 450.9 yards per game. The Dukes are led by QB Camden Coleman, who's completed 61.2% of his passes for 1,742 yards and 16 TDs with just 4 INTs.

However, Coleman has been turnover-prone the last two weeks, throwing 3 INTs in his last two games.

The Dukes will be without RB George Pettaway, who's rushed for a Sun Belt-leading 824 yards and 8 TDs. Pettaway is dealing with a lower-body injury and missed last week’s game against Troy. In Pettaway's absence, James Madison will continue to give RB Seth Cromwell the bulk of the carries. 

Meanwhile, Southern Miss has had four losing seasons in the last six campaigns. The Golden Eagles went 7-6 in 2025 under head coach Charles Huff, but they are in danger of missing the bowl again this season.

After defeating Alcorn State 49-4 in its opener, Southern Miss lost five straight games. That said, the Golden Eagles are fresh off a 35-21 win in which they outlasted UL Monroe last week behind a 151-yard rushing performance from RB Steven Robinson.

Next to Pettaway, Robinson has been one of the Sun Belt's top rushers. Robinson has racked up 728 rushing yards on 5.1 YPC and a conference-high 9 TDs.

Defensively, the Golden Eagles have had their fair share of struggles, allowing 32.5 PPG in their last four games. Southern Miss also struggles to defend the run, which poses a huge problem against one of the conference's top running teams. 

James Madison vs. Southern Miss Prediction on Spread – 11/5/26

Here are the key stats and trends behind our James Madison vs. Southern Miss pick against the spread for Thursday, November 5.

• James Madison is 6-3 against the spread, while Southern Miss has covered in just four of its eight contests.
• The Dukes have the Sun Belt’s top-scoring offense, averaging 39.1 PPG. Meanwhile, they’ll face a Golden Eagles defense that surrenders the third-most PPG in the conference (31.0).
• James Madison leads the Sun Belt in total YPG (450.9) and ranks second in rushing YPG (202.1). 
• The Southern Miss defense has ceded 0.08 EPA/rush, ranking 94th nationally, per Game On Paper.
• Southern Miss has given up 35.0 PPG over its past two games.

Lock in your James Madison vs. Southern Miss prediction on PrizePicks before kickoff.

James Madison vs. Southern Miss Picks, Player Stats for PrizePicks: 11/5/26

Here are the top James Madison vs. Southern Miss picks to target on Thursday, November 5. Today’s college football picks for PrizePicks include RB Seth Cromwell and QB Landry Lyddy.

James Madison RB Seth Cromwell vs. Southern Miss: 86.5 Rush Yards 

• When he got the start in place of Pettaway last week, Cromwell carried the ball 23 times for 135 yards (5.9 YPC) and a TD against Troy.
• Cromwell has averaged 4.8 YPC across eight games this season.
• As a team, the Dukes have opted for 38.6 rushing attempts per game in 2026. 
• Southern Miss has allowed the most rushing yards per game in the Sun Belt (223.4).

Add Seth Cromwell + James Madison to win to your PrizePicks lineup now.

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Southern Miss QB Landry Lyddy vs. James Madison: 206.5 Pass Yards

• Lyddy's completed 58.0% of his passes for 1,326 yards and 8 TDs with 4 INTs.
• The senior QB has passed for 207+ yards in just three of his eight games in 2026.
• Ranking 111th in the country, Lyddy nets just 5.62 yards per dropback.
• In fairness, James Madison has been a bit more vulnerable against the pass, allowing the fourth-most passing YPG in the Sun Belt (235.4).

Pick Landry Lyddy + Southern Miss to cover the spread on PrizePicks!

Make James Madison vs. Southern Miss Picks on PrizePicks

James Madison looked unstoppable through the opening seven games of the 2026 season before dropping its last two conference games. Can the Dukes get back on track against the Golden Eagles in prime time? 

Don’t wait until kickoff — make your James Madison vs. Southern Miss picks on PrizePicks now and earn real money if you’re right.

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