James Madison hosts Troy and North Texas meets FAU in Thursday's college games

James Madison hosts Troy in a Sun Belt game and North Texas hosts Florida Atlantic in the AAC on Thursday night. Both kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET. JMU-Troy is on ESPN2 and FAU-North Texas is on ESPN.

Troy (3-4) at James Madison (7-1)

The Dukes are coming off their first loss, a 34-31 defeat at Appalachian State on Oct. 22, according to the Associated Press. Camden Coleman threw for 232 yards with a touchdown and an interception in that game and also ran for a score. He has 14 touchdown passes and two interceptions this season, and George Pettaway has run for 824 yards and eight touchdowns, per ESPN. JMU scores 41.4 points a game, fifth in FBS.

Troy has a much harder time moving the ball. The Trojans rank 124th in passing offense, and quarterback Goose Crowder went 6 of 14 for 50 yards in last week's 21-14 loss to UL Monroe. Troy's best weapon may be its pass rush, where Donnie Smith has six sacks. DraftKings lists JMU as a 19.5-point favorite.

Florida Atlantic (5-2) at North Texas (5-2)

This one has the highest total on the board at 78.5, and it is easy to see why. North Texas averages 43.1 points a game, second in FBS, and beat Navy 49-39 last week behind 305 passing yards and three touchdowns from Tayven Jackson, 174 rushing yards from Jahiem White and 209 receiving yards from Justin Stevenson.

FAU outlasted Rice 51-49 in its last game. Caden Veltkamp threw for 339 yards and three touchdowns, and Easton Messer caught 12 passes for 162 yards and two scores. The Owls' problem is stopping the run. They allow 258.3 rushing yards a game, which ranks 137th in FBS, and White already has 861 yards and 11 touchdowns. North Texas is a 14-point favorite.

What to watch: Whether Coleman and the JMU offense look like themselves after the Appalachian State loss, and how many carries North Texas gives White against a run defense that ranks 137th in the country.