JMU football is among just a handful of schools in contention to host ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Nov. 22 prior to its meeting with Washington State, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

If selected, it would be the fourth time the Dukes would host the college football pregame show, which also visited Harrisonburg in 2015, 2017, and 2023. JMU is just 1-2 with GameDay in town.  

The 2025 Dukes currently sit at 7-1 and are among the Group of Five teams in contention to make the College Football Playoff. If the Dukes win their next two games (at Marshall and vs. App State), the Dukes would be 9-1 and in College Football Playoff contention for the Nov. 22 game against the Cougars (4-5). 

Other potential hosts for the Nov. 22 show include No. 17 Georgia Tech (hosting No. 24 Pitt) and SMU (hosting No. 15 Louisville). If Pitt beats Notre Dame and Georgia Tech beats Boston College on Nov. 15, Georgia Tech seems like the clear option. The Yellow Jackets are in ACC title contention and haven’t hosted the show in Atlanta since 2006. If Georgia Tech and/or Pitt lose before Nov. 22, it makes JMU a more realistic hosting option.

USC at Oregon and Missouri at Oklahoma would seem like top destinations, but GameDay already visited Oregon and Oklahoma, which brings JMU into the mix. 

College GameDay typically announces its official hosting location about a week before games. 

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications