If you listen to the national media, JMU football might as well stay home next weekend and avoid playing Oregon. We’re guessing the Dukes feel differently about their chances against the No. 5 team in the country.

Here are three things to know about the 5-12 matchup in this year’s College Football Playoff.

Bob Chesney likes being an underdog

Oregon is the best team Chesney will have ever coached against, and it’s perhaps the best team JMU’s program has ever faced. This is a gigantic test for the Dukes, although it’s also one of the best JMU teams in program history.

If there’s one reason for optimism for JMU fans, it starts with Chesney’s aggression as a coach, especially an underdog.

During his time at Holy Cross, Chesney pulled off FBS upsets over UConn and Buffalo. They also lost one-score games to Boston College and Army in 2024. And yes, those teams aren’t Oregon, but they illustrate a bigger point about Chesney’s mentality when punching up.

In those four FCS vs. FBS games, Chesney’s squad went 7-for-9 on fourth downs. He’s highly aggressive when his team faces a talent gap, knowing it takes an extra edge in game planning to stand a chance.

In a 2024 win over North Carolina, JMU forced five turnovers and put up over 600 yards of offense. The Dukes went 1-for-1 on fourth down in that victory. In the 2025 loss to Louisville, a tight game throughout, JMU attempted three fourth-down tries but only converted one. That’s perhaps the difference between winning and losing that contest, as failed fourth downs ended key drives.

JMU will dial up trick plays against Oregon. The Dukes won’t be gun shy on fourth downs. Chesney will use everything in his arsenal to make this competitive. Will it work? Who knows, but he’s shown in big games that he prefers to strike out swinging rather than looking.

Oregon is stacked with NFL talent

Since 2020, Oregon has produced 34 NFL Draft picks. JMU has none during that span.

Oregon’s 2025 team has plenty of pros, too. Quarterback Dante Moore is a possible No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, and tight end Kenyon Sadiq screams first-round talent. Defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington also looks like a first-round player, and the Ducks have several offensive linemen likely to be picked.

JMU faces a talent disparity.

The Dukes need to execute cleanly as a team to have any chance, and they need to lean on their P4-caliber players with NFL aspirations. Senior safety Jacob Thomas and linebacker Trent Hendrick could receive NFL looks, as well as defensive tackle Immanuel Bush who weighs 350 lbs and is nearly impossible to move inside. Bush’s health is a key storyline prior to this game.

Redshirt freshman defensive end Sahir West and redshirt junior running back Wayne Knight both look like future pros, and redshirt junior quarterback Alonza Barnett will have a bunch of P4 offers this offseason if he wants to take an NIL bag. Even wide receivers like Nick DeGennaro and Landon Ellis have P4 pedigree/NFL potential.

JMU isn’t a charity case, but Oregon is a legitimate NFL factory. This season is no different. How will JMU’s best players match up against NFL talents? We’ll find out soon.

Elite environment

It’s a shame the Pac-12 no longer exists, although Oregon ended up fine in the realignment shuffle as a Big Ten contender. Football in the Pacific Northwest rules, and Oregon has one of the coolest home field advantages in college football.

It’s often rainy, but it never slows the Ducks and their bright uniform combinations down. Under Dan Lanning, Oregon is 25-2 at home. The only teams to beat Lanning in Autzen Stadium are Washington in 2022 and Indiana earlier this season. Washington went 11-2 that year, and Indiana is 13-0. Oregon only loses to elite teams under Lanning, especially at home.

JMU showed major improvement on the road in 2025, going 5-1 after posting a 3-3 road record the year prior. But this environment is a different beast. Louisville would be the closest comparison, but Louisville on a Friday night in September isn’t Oregon on a playoff Saturday in December.

Managing the environment is part of the battle for JMU. Oregon thrives at home. The Dukes will need their best to keep it close in one of football’s best atmospheres.

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications