James Madison vs App State game
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
James Madison, the nation's lone 7-0 team, plays at App State on Thursday night.
It is one of the last Sun Belt meetings before JMU leaves the conference.
Background
James Madison and App State are Sun Belt Conference football rivals; JMU joined the league in 2022. The Dukes are 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Sun Belt, the only 7-0 program in the country, while App State is 4-2 and 1-1 under second-year head coach Dowell Loggains. JMU announced earlier this month it intends to leave the Sun Belt by July 1, 2028 to join the American Conference, making this one of the last App State-JMU games as Sun Belt rivals. App State leads the all-time series 14-6, including 8-3 at home.
How it unfolded
- 2023App State beat James Madison 26-23 in overtime in Harrisonburg, spoiling JMU's ESPN College GameDay experience.
- 2025James Madison beat App State 58-10 in Harrisonburg.
- Oct 16, 2026App State won 35-32 at Coastal Carolina, rallying from a 10-point halftime deficit.
- Oct 17, 2026James Madison beat Georgia State 49-22 on Homecoming, its 11th straight home win, with 515 yards of total offense.
- Oct 22, 2026James Madison (7-0, 4-0 Sun Belt) plays at App State (4-2, 1-1 Sun Belt) at 7 p.m. ET at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, NC, on ESPNU.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- New York Post's Michael Leboff makes James Madison a 10.5-point favorite and picks the Dukes, saying nothing suggests the Mountaineers will keep it close.
- Analysts
- College Football News' Pete Fiutak expects JMU to run too well and avoid turnovers enough to win, though he expects a fight.
- Analysts
- Pick Dawgz's Chris Ruffolo picks the Over 56.5 rather than a side.