Harrisonburg, ESPN is coming to your city this Saturday as College GameDay rocks up at the James Madison University Quad. The program was chosen as the host location as the undefeated Dukes continue to be one of the greatest stories in the 2023 college football season.
Just how many times have the James Madison Dukes hosted College GameDay?
How Many Times Has James Madison Hosted College GameDay?
Week 12 of the 2023 college football season marks the third time that James Madison has been the host of College GameDay. While it is the first time that the program has hosted the show as an FBS program — following their transition from the FCS — they previously welcomed Lee Corso and co. to Harrisonburg twice when the Dukes were a powerhouse program at the FCS level.
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James Madison was the College GameDay host for the first time in 2015. The then-fourth-ranked team in the FCS welcomed the Richmond Spiders to Harrisonburg for an in-state rivalry under the national spotlight. The 11th-ranked Spiders won in a serious upset, taking down the Dukes in a clash that featured over 100 points.
Two years later, Harrisonburg was once again chosen as the host location for College GameDay, marking the second time the program made its way to James Madison. The Dukes came into the game as the No. 1 team in the FCS and took care of business with a comfortable 30-8 win.
For its third time hosting College GameDay, James Madison welcomes the Appalachian State Mountaineers to Harrisonburg for an all-Sun Belt Showdown.
This time, though, might not have conference or bowl eligibility repercussions. App. State is already eligible, and James Madison was denied a post-season eligibility waiver on Nov. 15. However, this one still has the potential to be an exciting matchup.
While some Pac-12 fans are upset that College GameDay chose James Madison as the host over Corvallis for the Oregon State vs. Washington matchup, the program helps continue a focus on the Group of Five level. It will be just the 14th show to come from a Group of Five conference, and the 21st edition to feature at least one program from outside the Power Five level.
Furthermore, James Madison will become the first non-Power Five program to have hosted College GameDay three times on Saturday.
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Establishing themselves as a power in their state, Harrisonburg has hosted three of the last four editions to come from Virginia. Despite NCAA regulation preventing something more historic, the Dukes continue to set a standard in the sport.