2026 JMU Football Schedule Draft: Best Games to Attend, Skip & Watch on TV

It's June, which means it's time to get into the 2025 JMU football schedule — and we're doing it with a twist. Inspired by the Ringer Fantasy Football Podcast's schedule draft format, Jack and Bennett each draft games off the Dukes' schedule across five categories: - Home Game You'd Most Want to Attend - Home Game Worth Skipping - Road Game Worth Attending - Must-Watch TV Game - Pumpkin Picking Day (the game you skip altogether to build relationship goodwill before championship season) From the Troy rematch under the lights to a 10 PM kick at San Diego State on the CW, we break down every game worth circling on your calendar — and a few you should hand off entirely. Plus: a deep dive into the state of the Sun Belt Conference, why the league's national profile has slipped since JMU joined, what it would take for the Dukes to crack the College Football Playoff conversation, and whether the Sun Belt can still compete for G5 supremacy against a rising American Athletic Conference. Want to write for JMU Sports News? Email us: [email protected] SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV7h66Qrh33keqOmMrKweeQ?sub_confirmation=1 CHECK OUT OUR HOME ON THE WEB: https://jmusportsnews.com/ Liking the videos? Buy us a Coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/JMUSportsNews Claim your 15% off at Homefield: https://bit.ly/3XP9W2c Wear the moment with BreakingT: https://bit.ly/3XKqFny CHAPTER MARKERS 0:00 – intro 1:37 – The Schedule Draft format explained (inspired by Ringer Fantasy Football) 2:33 – The five draft categories revealed 5:30 – Pick 1 | Bennett: Home Game Worth Skipping → Wagner (Sept. 12) 6:44 – Pick 2 | Jack: Home Game to Attend → Troy (Sunbelt title game rematch, Thursday night) 7:46 – Pick 3 | Bennett: Pumpkin Picking Day → Georgia State (Oct. 17) 9:34 – Pick 4 | Jack: Road Game Worth Attending → ODU 12:19 – Pick 5 | Bennett: Home Game to Attend → Marshall (Oct. 3) 15:00 – Pick 6 | Jack: Home Game Worth Skipping → Liberty opener (noon kick, ESPNU) 17:29 – UVA's Brazil game fallout & Virginia Tech's mystery $500M 20:39 – Pick 7 | Bennett: Must-Watch TV Game → App State (Thursday night, ESPNU) 22:43 – Pick 8 | Jack: Must-Watch TV Game → San Diego State (10 PM, CW) 23:13 – The San Diego State late-night crash-out potential 25:52 – Pick 9 | Bennett: Road Game Worth Attending → Georgia Southern (Statesboro) 27:16 – Pick 10 | Jack: Pumpkin Picking Day → UConn (Nov. 14, CBS Sports Network) 29:00 – Schedule strength & College Football Playoff hopes 33:17 – Bennett's real goal: tracking Sun Belt fan meltdowns 34:00 – How the Sun Belt Conference has fallen since JMU joined in 2022 36:24 – The American Athletic Conference narrative vs. the Sun Belt 37:00 – Coach drain: Chesney, Cignetti, Huff & more 38:33 – Why bowl game quantity is hurting the Sun Belt's national image 41:20 – Listener callout: JMU Sports News student contributors wanted 42:38 – Recruiting big board update & Class of 2028 additions 44:19 – The Nick DeGennaro GOAT take 45:05 – Cade Klubnik, Dabo, and Houston's career limbo FOLLOW US ON: Facebook -  https://www.facebook.com/JMUSportsNews Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/jmusportsnews/ Twitter -  https://twitter.com/JMUSportsNews #JMU #DukesNation #JMUFootball #GoingForTheDubs #SunBelt #SunBeltFootball #CollegeFootball #CFB #JamesMadison #JMUSportsNews Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.