Where is James Madison? Location, mascot, nickname for CFP team
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Only three years after making the transition to the FBS level, James Madison football is one of 12 teams left with hopes of winning a national championship in 2025-26.
In a College Football Playoff field populated by many of the sport’s historic powers — from Ohio State and Georgia to Alabama and Oklahoma — the Dukes are the undeniable upstart that’s taken the latest step in an accelerated ascent.
James Madison was a powerhouse at the FCS level, winning national championships in 2004 and 2016. Its move to FBS was seamless, with coach Curt Cignetti leading the Dukes to a 19-5 record in their first two FBS seasons before Cignetti left for Indiana. Under Bob Chesney, Cignetti’s successor, James Madison has picked up right where it left off, with a 12-1 record and a Sun Belt championship in Chesney’s second season.
Thanks to 8-5 Duke unexpectedly winning the ACC, a wildly successful season for the Dukes has become a program-defining one, with James Madison making the playoff field as the No. 12 seed by virtue of being one of the five highest-ranked conference champions.
On Saturday, Dec. 20, the Dukes will take on No. 5 seed Oregon at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon in a first-round playoff matchup that will stand as the biggest game in James Madison’s brief FBS history.
Heading into that contest, here’s a closer look at James Madison:
Where is James Madison?
James Madison is a public research university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, about 130 miles southwest of Washington, D.C.
After it opened in 1908 as The State Normal and Industrial School for Women, the school was renamed in 1938 after James Madison, the fourth president of the United States and a Virginia native.
James Madison University size
James Madison had an undergraduate enrollment of 21,112 during the fall 2024 semester. It’s one of the largest colleges in Virginia, with nearly 4,000 more undergraduate students than the University of Virginia.
James Madison University mascot
James Madison’s athletic teams are nicknamed the Dukes.
The nickname is derived from former university president Samuel P. Duke. In 1947, what had been a women’s college for decades fielded its first men’s basketball team, with players choosing the nickname “Dukes” in honor of the university president on the condition that he provided them with towels and equipment. Around that same time, the school’s women’s teams began going by “Duchesses,” though that name was dropped in 1982, when all James Madison teams went by “Dukes.”
The official mascot of James Madison’s teams is Duke Dog, a costumed English bulldog. The idea for Duke Dog came from Dr. Ray V. Sonner, the university’s director of public affairs, who noted that a bulldog would be a common pet for English royalty, like a duke. Duke Dog made his first appearance as a cartoon and a live mascot during the 1972-73 academic year. A costume similar to the one used today was first employed 10 years later, during the 1982-83 academic year.
James Madison football schedule 2025
Here’s a look at James Madison football’s 2025 results and schedule:
- Saturday, Aug. 30: James Madison 45, Weber State 10
- Friday, Sept. 5: Louisville 28, James Madison 14
- Saturday, Sept. 20: James Madison 31, Liberty 13
- Saturday, Sept. 27: James Madison 35, Georgia Southern 10
- Saturday, Oct. 4: James Madison 14, Georgia State 7
- Saturday, Oct. 11: James Madison 24, Louisiana 14
- Saturday, Oct. 18: James Madison 63, Old Dominion 27
- Tuesday, Oct. 28: James Madison 52, Texas State 20
- Saturday, Nov. 8: James Madison 35, Marshall 23
- Saturday, Nov. 15: James Madison 58, Appalachian State 10
- Saturday, Nov. 22: James Madison 24, Washington State 20
- Saturday, Nov. 29: James Madison 59, Coastal Carolina 10
- Friday, Dec. 5: James Madison 31, Troy 13*
- Saturday, Dec. 20: at No. 5 Oregon
* Sun Belt championship game
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Where is James Madison? Location, enrollment, mascot for CFP team
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