San Diego State football to host James Madison in non-conference game

Aztecs, Dukes will meet at Snapdragon Stadium on Sept. 19

San Diego State Aztecs head coach Sean Lewis. | Photo courtesy of San Diego State University Athletics

While waiting for its inaugural Pac-12 football schedule to be released, the San Diego State Aztecs have announced an intriguing matchup that will be one of the highlights of their 2026 nonconference schedule. 

The Aztecs announced Wednesday that they will host James Madison on Sept. 19 at Snapdragon Stadium. 

James Madison, of course, made waves recently when it was included in the College Football Playoff as one of two Group of Five representatives in the field of 12. The Dukes were routed 48-13 by Oregon in a CFP opener in Eugene. The Ducks went on to beat Texas Tech 23-0 before being embarrassed 56-22 by No. 1 Indiana in the semifinals. 

What this game means

The Dukes-Aztecs matchup will be the second-to-last tuneup before San Diego State launches its Pac-12 schedule, which is due to be released in the coming weeks. 

This will be the first meeting between the schools. 

San Diego State had a resurgent second season under coach Sean Lewis, going 9-4 overall and in a four-way tie at the top of the regular-season Mountain West standings at 6-2. The Aztecs needed just a win at New Mexico in the regular-season finale to host the MW title game, but lost in double overtime. They were then eliminated from the title game altogether based on computer rankings. 

The Aztecs ended the season with a 49-47 loss to North Texas in the New Mexico Bowl, their first postseason game in three seasons. 

Aztecs vs. Dukes ⚔️

San Diego State has officially locked in a matchup against James Madison University as the final non-conference game of the 2026 season!

📰: https://t.co/wJMdNZtyz2#AztecFAST 🍢 x #BeTheA1pha 🐺 x #TheClimb 📈 pic.twitter.com/gaNcELLDX8

— San Diego State Football (@AztecFB) January 14, 2026

James Madison 12-2 overall, including 8-0 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Dukes won the championship game over Troy, 31-14, to gain a spot in the CFP.

James Madison, located in Harrisonburg, Va., beat two of SDSU’s future Pac-12 rivals last season. The Dukes picked up a 52-20 road SBC win at Texas State on Oct. 28 and then beat Washington State 24-20 in Harrisonburg in a non-conference game on Nov. 22. 

The Aztecs lost 36-13 at Washington State on Sept. 6 before reeling off a six-game winning streak. 

The rest of the non-conference schedule

The Aztecs will open the 2026 season at home against Portland State of the FCS’ Big Sky Conference on Sept. 5. SDSU will then travel to face UCLA on Sept. 12, host JMU on Sept. 19 and finish its non-conference schedule at Toledo on Sept. 26.

As usual, kickoff times and broadcast details will be announced later. 

The new Pac-12

Fans will be eager to find out the Aztecs’ initial Pac-12 schedule. The Aztecs are among five MW teams moving into the reconfigured Pac-12, along with Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State and Utah. They’ll join holdovers WSU and Oregon State, as well as fellow newcomer Texas State. Gonzaga, which doesn’t play football, is joining in basketball.