The Louisville Cardinals have added the James Madison Dukes to their 2022 football schedule, according to a report by the Daily News-Record.
Louisville will host James Madison at Cardinal Stadium on Nov. 5, 2022. The Cardinals will pay the Dukes a $600,000 guarantee for the game, JMU associate athletic director Kevin White told the DN-R.
“They’re in the ACC, which is one of the best conferences in the country,” White said. “They’ve had a Heisman Trophy winner, and I think anytime you have an opportunity to play that caliber of football, it only helps your program.”
Louisville and James Madison have never met on the gridiron.
James Madison is a perennial Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) powerhouse. The Dukes have seven conference titles and two national championships (2004 and 2016). Last season, the Dukes fell to North Dakota State 17-13 in the FCS National Championship.
The addition of James Madison tentatively completes Louisville’s non-conference schedule for the 2022 season. The Cardinals are also scheduled to play at UCF on Sept. 17, host USF on Sept. 24, and close out the season against in-state rival Kentucky at home on Nov. 26.
Louisville now has a non-conference game scheduled against a team from the FCS through the 2023 season. Opponents set to visit Cardinal Stadium include Indiana State (2018), Eastern Kentucky (2019, 2021), Murray State (2020, 2023), and James Madison (2022).