2025 James Madison Dukes football team

2025 James Madison Dukes football
Sun Belt champion
Sun Belt East Division champion
CFP First Round, L 34–51 at Oregon
ConferenceSun Belt Conference
DivisionEast Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 20
APNo. 19
Record12–2 (8–0 Sun Belt)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDean Kennedy (2nd season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorColin Hitschler (1st season)
Base defense4–2–5
Home stadiumBridgeforth Stadium
2025 Sun Belt Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 19 James Madison xy$^   8 0     12 2  
Old Dominion   6 2     10 3  
Coastal Carolina   5 3     6 7  
Georgia Southern   4 4     7 6  
Marshall   3 5     5 7  
Appalachian State   2 6     5 8  
Georgia State   0 8     1 11  
West Division
Troy xy   6 2     8 6  
Southern Miss   5 3     7 6  
Louisiana   5 3     6 7  
Arkansas State   5 3     7 6  
Texas State   3 5     7 6  
South Alabama   3 5     4 8  
Louisiana–Monroe   1 7     3 9  
Championship: James Madison 31, Troy 14
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2025 James Madison Dukes football team represented James Madison University in the Sun Belt Conference's East Division during the 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Dukes were led by Bob Chesney in his second year as the head coach. The Dukes played their home games at the Bridgeforth Stadium, located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. They appeared in the College Football Playoff for the first time in program and Sun Belt history.

James Madison became the first ever program to participate in both the College Football Playoff and the FCS playoffs in the same decade (2020s), the last appearance of the latter being in 2021, which was their final season in the FCS.

The James Madison Dukes drew an average home attendance of 25,135, the 85th-highest of all NCAA Division I FBS football teams.