Liberty University and James Madison University will play nine college football games against each other over the next 15 years. There are young kids who are currently in kindergarten who will be involved in the ninth of nine games.
They are 12 full grades removed from a game that may or may not be played in more than a decade.
It is the furthest contracted college football game on record. The world is going to look completely different when the Flames and the Dukes take the field for the final time, if they even get that far.
Liberty and James Madison are P6 powerhouses.
James Madison University and Liberty University are separated by less than 100 miles. James Madison is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Liberty is located in Lynchburg, Virginia.
It is 90-minute drive from campus to campus.
One such route includes a ~70 mile stretch on the ‘Blue Ridge Parkway,’ one of the most famous roads in the United States. Thus, the series is referred to as the ‘Battle of the Blue Ridge.’
The Flames and the Dukes are two of the best teams on the non-power conference level of college football. The Flames represented the Group of Five (at the time) in the College Football Playoff in 2023. The Dukes won 11 games in 2023.
This new non-conference series will play a role in the Playoff picture moving forward. At the very least, it is one of the best ‘Group of Six’ games to circle on the calendar each season.
Get ready, Kindergarteners!
It is not uncommon for college football programs to sign a scheduling agreement for many years in advance. Teams will often schedule games for 4, 5, 6 years down the road.
Some of those games happen. Some of them get canceled.
Never before have two schools scheduled games for this far out. James Madison and Liberty will play a home-home-home-home-home-home-home-home-and-home series in 2026, 2031, 2032, 2033, 2034, 2037, 2038, 2039, 2040.
- Sept. 5, 2026 — at JMU
- Sept. 6, 2031 — at JMU
- Sept. 11, 2032 — at Liberty
- Sept. 17, 2033 — at JMU
- Sept. 16, 2034 — at Liberty
- Sept. 19, 2037 — at JMU
- Sept. 18, 2038 — at Liberty
- Sept. 17, 2039 — at JMU
- Sept. 15, 2040 — at Liberty
Lets do that math.
2040 is 15 years away. If we are to do that math, students who are currently in Kindergarten will be juniors in college. Three year olds will be freshmen in college. Better start recruiting!!