Virginia Football Gets Bold With Its Latest Future Scheduling Announcement

Virginia Football is going to be playing an in-state rival in the future, and it just happens to be a playoff team from this past season

September 9, 22023 in Charlottesvile, Virginia; Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Anthony Colandrea (10) carries the ball in the game against the James Madison Dukes at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Hannah Pajewski-Imagn Images | Hannah Pajewski-Imagn Images

Non-conference matchups in college football have become a hot topic in the sport, and more and more of them are getting canceled. While this matchup might not be on the level of some of the ones that are getting canceled, it is good to see that Virginia Football and James Madison are not going to back down from playing each other.

UVA announced today that the Cavaliers and the Dukes are going to play each other in 2028 at Scott's Stadium in Charlottesville, and it will be the fifth time that the two schools have met each other on the gridiron, and the first time since 2023, a win for James Madison. Currently, the two schools' all-time series is tied 2-2, and the other three meetings came in 1983, 1982, and 1979.

The in-state matchup continues

The Hoos will host James Madison in 2028.#GoHoos🔶⚔️🔷 pic.twitter.com/pyX3i0lEQ9

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) May 22, 2026

Earlier this offseason, Virginia Tech canceled its upcoming matchup with James Madison after the ACC moved the Hokies conference schedule to nine games.

Last season, James Madison made history by becoming one of two Group of Five programs to make the 12-team college football playoff, where they would end up losing to Oregon in the first round. Former head coach Bob Chesney headed off to UCLA and the Dukes hired former Louisiana and Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier to lead the program. Will he be able to keep the Dukes on the same winning path that previous coaches like Curt Cignetti and Chesney have built?

Given the trajectory of these two programs, this could end up being a consequential matchup down the line. It is worth pointing out that if Virginia had beaten Duke in the ACC Championship game, James Madison would not have been in the College Football Playoff. However, the Blue Devils beat UVA in overtime and that paved the way for two group of five teams to make the field.

Given the trajectory of these two programs, it would not be surprising to see this be a consequential matchup when 2028 comes around. The Dukes have everything in place to remain one of the top G6 programs in the country, and after making the conference title game in 2025, it could be the start of something special for Tony Elliott and Virginia.

I think that it is healthy for college football that in-state programs are not going to shy away from playing each other, and this should happen more. Too often, power conference programs shy away from playing in-state G6 teams, but UVA and JMU are going to try and buck that trend.