The Liberty Flames and James Madison Dukes have added four games to their future home-and-home football series that will now be titled Battle of the Blue Ridge, both schools announced Wednesday.
Via two separate past announcements, Liberty and James Madison were scheduled to play a total of six football contests beginning with the Flames hosting the Dukes this season on Sept. 20 at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Va. James Madison will then host Liberty next season on Sept. 5, 2026 at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Va.
Other previously announced games include Sept. 6, 2031 and Sept. 17, 2033 at James Madison and Sept. 11, 2032 and Sept. 16, 2034 at Liberty.
Today’s announcement adds another four games to the series from 2037 through 2040, which will bring the total number of future games scheduled between the two Virginia schools to ten. Liberty will host James Madison in Lynchburg on Sept. 18, 2038 and Sept. 15, 2040 and will travel to face JMU in Harrisonburg on Sept. 19, 2037 and Sept. 17, 2039.
Liberty and James Madison first met on the gridiron in 1980 and have played a total of 18 contests. In their most recent contest in 2014, the Flames defeated the Dukes 26-21 in Harrisonburg, but the Dukes still lead the overall series 12-6.
Both schools previously competed in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), but have since moved up to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Liberty is a member of Conference USA, while James Madison competes in the Sun Belt Conference.
On Tuesday, James Madison announced the addition of four opponents to its future football schedules. The Dukes will play home-and-home series against the UNLV Rebels (2027 home, 2030 away) and Ohio Bobcats (2028 away, 2035 home). Additionally, JMU will host FCS schools Houston Christian in 2028 and Central Connecticut in 2029.
Liberty-James Madison Series
– Sept. 20, 2025 at Liberty
– Sept. 5, 2026 at James Madison
– Sept. 6, 2031 at James Madison
– Sept. 11, 2032 at Liberty
– Sept. 17, 2033 at James Madison
– Sept. 16, 2034 at Liberty
– Sept. 19, 2037 at James Madison
– Sept. 18, 2038 at Liberty
– Sept. 17, 2039 at James Madison
– Sept. 15, 2040 at Liberty
Football Schedules
View Comments (3)
2040!?
98.6 Miles through the Blue Ridge Mountains! This is a rivalry that makes sense!
No games in 2035 & 2036?????