When JMU made the move to the FBS, there were dozens of reasons why fans were excited. Among those reasons was the dream of a Power Five program not only playing JMU, but actually visiting Bridgeforth Stadium as the road team.

That dream has been dampened slightly, with rumors about the Power Four (RIP to the PAC-12, which has all but died and left four power leagues) breaking into its own entity. For now, however, JMU still exists in a world where the Power Four and the Group of Five exist at theoretically the same level.

And even though ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips has strongly encouraged his teams to avoid Group of Five road games (the ACC is desperate to boost its national perception and losing to G5 teams doesn’t help), some ACC programs have signaled they don’t really care about Phillips’ recommendation. So could an ACC team or another Power Four team come to Bridgeforth in the near future?

WHSV recently reported JMU’s administration is hard at work trying to convince a Power Four team to come to Bridgeforth Stadium.

A Power Conference opponent visiting Harrisonburg could very well be in JMU’s future. Let’s take an estimated guess at which opponents fit the mold of a possibile JMU-P4 matchup.

Convincing a Power Team

Given JMU’s current status as a program – the Dukes are on solid football as a program overall and dominant at home – any Power Five team visiting Harrisonburg knows they can lose. That’s a risk.

With risk involved, I’m comfortable assuming a Power program will only visit Harrisonburg if there’s clear added value for them.

This likely means a P4 team coming to JMU would prefer to be in a location where the game holds regional meaning and requires a minimal travel budget. On paper, it would be a benefit if the opposing fanbase could travel to the game and if the cost of visiting JMU is less than playing a random Power Conference team farther away.

I don’t see JMU convincing Arizona, for example, to visit Harrisonburg. ACC programs in Virginia or North Carolina, however, would be reasonable additions to the schedule.

When Might the Game Occur?

JMU’s 2025 and 2026 schedules are booked, as the Dukes have four nonconference games scheduled in each season. JMU needs home games in 2027, 2028, and 2029. In 2028 and 2029, the Dukes have three games scheduled for each respective season.

Editor’s note: Our JMU football future nonconference schedule tracker can be found here. 

My estimated guess is the fourth and final game for each year (based on the Dukes’ past scheduling focus) will be an FCS opponent. The Dukes have yet to play an FBS schedule without one FCS game.

That leaves 2027 as my most likely guess for when JMU will first welcome a Power Four team to Harrisonburg. The Dukes’ 2027 schedule includes road games with Maryland and Delaware. 2028 and 2029 are both possibilities, if the Dukes are OK avoiding FCS games those seasons.

Adding another Power Four game would make for a tough nonconference schedule in any of those three seasons, but playing two Power programs isn’t uncommon for Sun Belt teams. Marshall, for example, plays Virginia Tech and Ohio State this year. ODU plays both South Carolina and Virginia Tech, with the game against the Hokies at home.

Top Options

So who are the top options JMU could welcome in 2027 or a different year down the road?

Duke

The Blue Devils top my list of potential visitors to Bridgeforth Stadium. Duke doesn’t seem to care much about the ACC’s guidance to avoid G5 road games, with the Blue Devils visiting G5 teams in 2024, 2025, 2028, and 2029. The Blue Devils actually visit both Tulane and UConn in 2025.

As for the team’s 2027 schedule, the only announced nonconference game is a home matchup with Notre Dame. That leaves three openings on Duke’s calendar, including the opportunity for a pair of road games.

Playing Tulane in 2025 signals to me that the Blue Devils aren’t afraid of losing a road game against a G5 team, but rather doing what they can to build a competitive schedule that makes sense for the program.

With Durham only about a four-hour drive from Harrisonburg, the matchup makes plenty of sense to me.

Virginia

JMU and UVA fans showed out in Charlottesville for a September meeting in 2023, with the Dukes winning a thriller 36-35. The game matters to both fans, with the schools separated by just one hour. It’s a matchup that should happen more often, and there’s potential for a rivalry.

UVA’s aversion to G5 road games is less strong than other ACC teams, too. The Cavaliers visit Coastal Carolina in 2024, and they’re set to play at ODU in 2028.

Virginia’s 2027 nonconference schedule currently includes home games with Indiana and William & Mary, but no road games. The opening is there, and the game makes sense from a fan engagement and travel perspective. 

Georgia Tech

The Yellow Jackets have a road game with Georgia State in 2026. Could they follow with another road SBC opponent in 2027? They face Arkansas State and Georgia at home in 2027, and they’re slated to play Notre Dame on the road that season. They’re in need of one additional opponent.

UNC

While North Carolina doesn’t have any open dates in 2027, the Tar Heels have a few openings in 2029. They’re playing G5 road games in 2025 and 2027. Perhaps they add another in 2029?

The Dukes played UNC in Chapel Hill this year, and the teams met in 2016. They’re also scheduled to play in 2028, so the relationship between the athletic departments exists.

West Virginia

The Mountaineers could make sense in 2028. They have a pair of open nonconference dates that fall, and they’re playing G5 road games in 2025 and 2026. The game would interest fans from a regional perspective. 

Header photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications