James Madison Dukes at Southern Miss Golden Eagles

James Madison enters the season as the Sun Belt's team to beat. Southern Miss is starting over with a first-year head coach. This Thursday night trip to Hattiesburg is the kind of spot that can expose exactly where a rebuild stands.

Bush’s Picks

JMUUSM

JMUUSM

OverUnder

Best BetJames Madison

James Madison is the conference favorite for a reason — they won the Sun Belt title last year and were voted to repeat as East champs by a wide margin. Southern Miss is starting a first-year coach with a roster that turned over almost completely, which is a tough combination on a short week. Back the Dukes here.

James Madison

• +Defending Sun Belt champions, voted repeat East favorites
• +All-Sun Belt returnees at RB, center, edge rusher
• +Beat Southern Miss 32-15 in only prior meeting
• −Just 5 returning starters, 61 newcomers to blend
• −First year under new head coach Billy Napier
• −Thursday road trip late in a long season

Southern Miss

• +Blake Anderson brings proven track record, 75-54 as HC
• +Full offseason to install new staff and systems
• +Home crowd for a nationally-slotted Thursday game
• −Picked 5th in Sun Belt West preseason poll
• −75 new players, almost a full roster overhaul
• −0-1 all-time vs JMU, lost prior meeting by 17

There's no pitcher matchup card for this one — it's a Sun Belt East heavyweight against a West team trying to find its footing. James Madison comes in as the reigning conference champs and the preseason favorite to repeat, while Southern Miss is beginning the Blake Anderson era with a roster that turned over almost entirely in the offseason.

The Dukes only return 5 starters off last year's title team, but the pieces that are back matter: running back George Pettaway earned Second Team All-Sun Belt honors, and center Zach Greenberg and edge rusher Amar Thomas both made First Team. Billy Napier takes over as head coach with a roster stocked by 61 newcomers, so the talent influx is real even if continuity isn't.

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JMU James Madison

USM Southern Miss

Southern Miss, meanwhile, is leaning on Anderson's history of turning programs around — he's 75-54 across stops at Arkansas State and Utah State — but he inherits a Golden Eagles team picked to finish 5th in the Sun Belt West with 75 new players on the roster. That's about as close to a full reset as it gets.

James Madison Dukes

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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report

Southern Miss Golden Eagles

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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report