No. 12 JMU Heads to Eugene for CFP Opening-Round Clash with No. 5 Oregon

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison finished the year as the fifth highest-ranked conference champion to earn the No. 12 seed for the College Football Playoff, where it will travel to Eugene, Ore., for a clash with fifth-seeded Oregon in the opening round on Saturday, Dec. 20.

Kickoff from Autzen Stadium is set for a 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT) start, and the game will be nationally televised on TNT, TBS, truTV and HBO Max.

This is JMU's inaugural appearance in the CFP in just its second year as an eligible FBS program.

JMU's run through the 2025 postseason is presented by Door Gorilla.

No. 12 James Madison (12-1, 8-0 SBC) at No. 5 Oregon (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten)
Saturday, December 20, 2025
Kickoff: 7:30 PM ET (4:30 PM PT)
Eugene, Ore. | Autzen Stadium

Game Information
TV: TNT | TBS | truTV | HBO Max
Online: HBO Max (subscription required)
JMU Radio: WSVA 92.1 FM | 550 AM | Sirius XM Channel 82
National Radio: ESPN Radio
Listen: Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network
Live Stats
JMU Game Notes

FIRST-TIME MATCHUP FOR THE DUKES

Saturday's CFP opening-round matchup will be a first for JMU and Oregon.
It will also be JMU's furthest west game in program history, as its showdown with the Ducks will be its first in the Pacific Time Zone.
JMU has only faced a Big Ten Conference team on one other occasion, as it fell at Maryland in the 2014 opener.

HISTORY MADE WITH CFP SELECTION

JMU's inclusion in the College Football Playoff was a first for the Dukes but also marked additional milestones.
The Dukes are the first Sun Belt Conference team to ever make the CFP field.
They are also the first team from Virginia to compete for a CFP national championship.
JMU also punched its ticket to the CFP in just year four playing a Football Bowl Subdivision schedule and its second as a full-fledged FBS eligible program.

SUN BELT CHAMPIONS

JMU won its 11th straight game on Dec. 5, using a pair of late touchdowns to pull away from Troy for a 31-14 victory to capture the 2025 Sun Belt Football Championship.
It is JMU's first conference crown at the FBS level, the 11th in program history and its first since 2021 when JMU closed its chapter in the Football Championship Subdivision.
The win moved JMU to the 12-win mark for the first time since that 2021 season.
JMU is the second straight East Division team to win the Sun Belt title and the fourth to claim the trophy in the seven overall SBC championship games.
Wayne Knight was named the championship's MVP after rushing for a career-high 212 yards and setting an SBC title game record with 234 all-purpose yards.
Sahir West also set title records with career bests of 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks to lead the defense.

11 STRAIGHT VICTORIES

JMU enters the College Football Playoff with an 11-game win streak to set an FBS-era record for wins in a season (12).
JMU's active win streak is the second most in the country, trailing only #1 Indiana (13).
The win streak is the highest by any Group of Six program by five games.
JMU is also on a five-game road win streak after dropping its initial road game in September. That's tops in the G6 and tied for the fourth-longest by any team.
By virtue of winning each game since Sept. 20, JMU is the only G6 program not to lose a game to another G6, going 11-0.
Against G6 opponents since joining the Sun Belt in 2022, JMU has gone 34-8 (.810).
The Dukes were one of just three teams to go unbeaten in conference play in 2025, as the Big Ten's Indiana and Ohio State also finished 9-0.

NUMBERS DURING THE WIN STREAK

During its 11-game win streak, JMU is averaging victories by 23.4 points per game, scoring 38.7 per game while allowing 15.3 per outing.
The Dukes have scored north of 50 points four times - all in Sun Belt play.
Nine of 11 wins were by double digits and four were by at least 25 points.
In the 11-game stretch, JMU is gaining 464.3 yards per game, as opposed to 255.2 to its foes.
In the second half alone since Sept. 20, JMU has conceded just 34 points, equating to 3.1 points per second half.
In the ground game, JMU has allowed just 73.9 rushing yards per game.
Against the nine Sun Belt teams in the second half, the squads combined for just 143 rushing yards over the final 30 minutes.
Marshall gained 141 in the second half, meaning the other eight teams combined for two yards.

WHAT'S AWAITS THE WINNER?

The victor of the CFP opening-round game between JMU and Oregon will advance to the Capital One Orange Bowl to face fourth-seeded Texas Tech, winners of the Big 12 Conference.
That game kicks off at noon on Jan. 1, 2026, from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
JMU has never faced Texas Tech, while Oregon owns a 3-0 series lead with the Red Raiders, having last faced them in 2023.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: TNT | TBS | truTV | HBO Max
Online: HBO Max (subscription required)
Talent: Bob Wischusen (pxp), Louis Riddick (analyst), Kris Budden (sideline), Stormy Buonantony (sideline)

JMU Radio: Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network
On the radio – WSVA 92.1 FM | 550 AM | Sirius XM Channel 82
Talent: Dave Riggert (pxp), Que Reid (analyst)

National Radio: ESPN Radio
Talent: Mike Monaco (pxp), Tom Luginbill (analyst), Dana Boyle (sideline)

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