James Madison football stats, 2026
7–1 (4–1 Sun Belt). 2026 season, games through Oct 24, 2026.
James Madison football rankings: how good is James Madison?
SP+ (30th) and Elo (14th) see a top-25 team. PRIME has it 64th. PRIME grades each possession, so it's lower on how James Madison's drives have gone than the others. James Madison has played one of the softest schedules so far (118th in PRIME).
What is James Madison good at, and what is it bad at?
Good at
- James Madison's offensive line wins up front: a Big Uglies rating of 58.8, where 50 is average, 13th in FBS.
- James Madison keeps its quarterback upright: sacked on 3.0% of dropbacks, 17th in FBS.
- James Madison throws it well: 0.28 EPA per pass, opponent-adjusted, 23rd in FBS.
Bad at
- James Madison stalls on 3rd down: a 35.6% conversion rate, 99th of 134.
Good at means top 25 in FBS; bad at means 91st or worse. Turnovers swing a lot from week to week.
Troy at James Madison
Thu, Oct 29, 7:30 PM ET. SP+ projection: James Madison 37, Troy 13. The numbers' pick: James Madison (93%).
James Madison football schedule, 2026
Next: vs. Troy, Thu, Oct 29, 7:30 PM ET on ESPN2.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result or kickoff (ET), TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sat, Sep 5 | vs. Liberty | W 20–13 |
| 2 | Sat, Sep 12 | vs. Wagner | W 87–3 |
| 3 | Sat, Sep 19 | at San Diego State | W 26–13 |
| 4 | Sat, Sep 26 | at Old Dominion | W 46–20 |
| 5 | Sat, Oct 3 | vs. Marshall | W 45–17 |
| 6 | Sat, Oct 10 | at Georgia Southern | W 27–24 |
| 7 | Sat, Oct 17 | vs. Georgia State | W 49–22 |
| 8 | Thu, Oct 22 | at App State | L 31–34 |
| 9 | Thu, Oct 29 | vs. Troy | 7:30 PM ET, ESPN2 |
| 10 | Thu, Nov 5 | at Southern Miss | 8:00 PM ET, ESPN2 |
| 11 | Sat, Nov 14 | at UConn | 12:00 PM ET, CBSSN |
| 13 | Sat, Nov 28 | vs. Coastal Carolina | TBA |
Kickoff times are Eastern. TV from CollegeFootballData.com; networks are set a week or two ahead.
James Madison's 2026 record: the wins and losses
- Best win
- vs. Liberty (6–1, SP+ 45th), 20–13, Week 1
- Worst loss
- at App State (5–2, SP+ 95th), 31–34, Week 8
- Biggest win
- vs. Wagner (FCS), 87–3, Week 2
- Closest win
- at Georgia Southern (3–4, SP+ 94th), 27–24, Week 6
Wins (7)
- vs. Liberty 6–1, SP+ 45th 20–13
- at Georgia Southern 3–4, SP+ 94th 27–24
- at San Diego State 3–5, SP+ 104th 26–13
- vs. Georgia State 4–3, SP+ 105th 49–22
- vs. Marshall 4–3, SP+ 111th 45–17
- at Old Dominion 2–6, SP+ 124th 46–20
- vs. Wagner FCS 87–3
Losses (1)
- at App State 5–2, SP+ 95th 31–34
| Record | |
|---|---|
| Against the SP+ top 50 | 1–0 |
| Against teams with winning records | 3–1 |
| In one-score games (8 points or fewer) | 2–1 |
| At home | 4–0 |
| Away | 3–1 |
| Against FCS teams | 1–0 |
Opponents are judged by where they stand now: their record, their SP+ rank out of 138 and the latest AP poll. Wins and losses are listed best opponent first. Strength of record and schedule are PRIME's, on its points scale, where higher is better.
How many championships has James Madison won?
James Madison hasn't won a major-college national championship, though it has 2 FCS / I-AA titles (2004 and 2016).
James Madison has won 10 conference championships, most recently the Sun Belt in 2025.
- Sun Belt
- 1: 2025
- CAA
- 6: 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021
- Atlantic 10
- 2: 1999, 2004
- VCAA
- 1: 1975
Through the 2025 season. National titles are the ones the school claims; conference titles include shared ones. From each program's records as collected on Wikipedia.
James Madison offense: stats and national ranks
| Stat | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 41.4 | 5th |
| Yards per play | 6.65 | 36th |
| Success rate | 45.4% | 51st |
| Explosive play rate | 14.2% | 28th |
| Yards per carry | 5.89 | 24th |
| Yards per pass attempt | 7.66 | 68th |
| Sack rate allowed | 3.0% | 17th |
| 3rd down conversion | 35.6% | 99th |
James Madison defense: stats and national ranks
| Stat | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Points allowed | 18.2 | 25th |
| Yards per play allowed | 5.54 | 55th |
| Success rate allowed | 37.9% | 40th |
| Explosive plays allowed | 10.3% | 52nd |
| Yards per carry allowed | 4.30 | 38th |
| Yards per attempt allowed | 7.13 | 73rd |
| Sack rate | 7.6% | 35th |
| 3rd downs allowed | 36.4% | 50th |
How good is James Madison's offensive line?
Big Uglies, our offensive line rating, has James Madison at 58.8, 13th of 138 (50 is average). It's 39th in adjusted line yards per carry (3.07), gets stuffed on 14.2% of runs (22nd fewest) and converts 77.5% of short-yardage runs (37th).
| Stat | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Big Uglies: offensive line | 58.8 | 13th |
| Line yards per carry (adjusted) | 3.07 | 39th |
| Stuff rate (runs stopped at or behind the line) | 14.2% | 22nd |
| Power success (short yardage) | 77.5% | 37th |
| Sack rate allowed | 3.0% | 17th |
| Open-field yards per carry (adjusted) | 1.37 | 13th |
How good is James Madison's defensive line?
Big Uglies has James Madison's defensive front at 51.2, 61st of 138. It gives up 2.97 adjusted line yards per carry (71st), stuffs 17.7% of runs (84th) and gets a sack on 7.6% of dropbacks (35th).
| Stat | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Big Uglies: defensive front | 51.2 | 61st |
| Line yards allowed per carry (adjusted) | 2.97 | 71st |
| Stuff rate (defense) | 17.7% | 84th |
| Power success allowed | 65.4% | 36th |
| Sack rate | 7.6% | 35th |
| Front-seven havoc | 9.9% | 60th |
Are James Madison's backs actually good, or is it all the offensive line?
James Madison's line is 39th of 138 in adjusted line yards per carry (3.07), the part of each run it earns. Its backs are 13th in adjusted open-field yards (1.37), the part they earn past 10 yards. Both: the line opens holes and the backs finish runs.
James Madison football players: the stat leaders
Amar Thomas (EDGE), Braeden Wisloski (WR), Camden Coleman (QB), Cole Keller (TE), Corey Scott (WR), DJ Kelly (CB), Danny Royster (EDGE), Ernest Willor Jr. (EDGE), George Pettaway (RB), JC Evans (QB), JT Hooten (LB), Jakolbi Wilson (DL), Jamal Olford (CB), Javis Mynatt (S), Jayden Mines (WR), Jeremiah Harrison (WR), Ke'Untae Mosley (TE), Kells Bush (DL), Ken Willis (CB), Kevin Roberts (DL), Michael Scott (WR), Nakian Jackson (LB), Nick Herman (RB), Noah Grevious (WR), Seth Cromwell (RB), TJ McGill (S), Turner Schmidt (EDGE).
James Madison football results, 2026
| Week | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | vs. Liberty | W 20–13 |
| 2 | vs. Wagner | W 87–3 |
| 3 | at San Diego State | W 26–13 |
| 4 | at Old Dominion | W 46–20 |
| 5 | vs. Marshall | W 45–17 |
| 6 | at Georgia Southern | W 27–24 |
| 7 | vs. Georgia State | W 49–22 |
| 8 | at App State | L 31–34 |
Ranks are out of 138 FBS teams. Stats from play-by-play; scoring counts FBS opponents only. Compare James Madison with any team.
Questions about James Madison
What is James Madison's record?
James Madison is 7–1, 4–1 in the Sun Belt, with games through Oct 24, 2026.
Is James Madison good this year?
James Madison is 30th of 138 in SP+, Bill Connelly's rating (above average), 64th in PRIME and 14th in Elo. They aren't in the AP Top 25.
Who does James Madison play this week?
James Madison hosts Troy, Thu, Oct 29, 7:30 PM ET. The numbers' pick: James Madison.
What is James Madison's best win?
Liberty, 20–13 in Week 1. Liberty is 6–1 and 45th in SP+.
What is James Madison's 2026 football schedule?
Week 1: vs. Liberty (W 20–13); Week 2: vs. Wagner (W 87–3); Week 3: at San Diego State (W 26–13); Week 4: at Old Dominion (W 46–20); Week 5: vs. Marshall (W 45–17); Week 6: at Georgia Southern (W 27–24); Week 7: vs. Georgia State (W 49–22); Week 8: at App State (L 31–34); Week 9: vs. Troy; Week 10: at Southern Miss; Week 11: at UConn; Week 13: vs. Coastal Carolina.
When does James Madison play next, and what channel is it on?
Against Troy at home, Thu, Oct 29, 7:30 PM ET, at Bridgeforth Stadium. It's on ESPN2.
What was the score of James Madison's last game?
James Madison lost to App State 34–31 on Thu, Oct 22 on the road.
Who is James Madison's quarterback?
Camden Coleman has thrown the most for James Madison this season: 1,749 passing yards through Oct 24, 2026.
Where does James Madison play its home games?
Bridgeforth Stadium.
Where is James Madison ranked?
Unranked in the latest AP poll. 30th of 138 in SP+, 64th in PRIME and 14th in Elo.
How many national championships has James Madison won?
James Madison hasn't won a major-college national championship, though it has 2 FCS / I-AA titles (2004 and 2016).
How many conference championships has James Madison won?
James Madison has won 10 conference championships, most recently the Sun Belt in 2025. James Madison has 1 Sun Belt title.
How good is James Madison?
SP+ (30th) and Elo (14th) see a top-25 team. PRIME has it 64th. PRIME grades each possession, so it's lower on how James Madison's drives have gone than the others. James Madison has played one of the softest schedules so far (118th in PRIME).
What is James Madison good at?
James Madison's offensive line wins up front: a Big Uglies rating of 58.8, where 50 is average, 13th in FBS. James Madison keeps its quarterback upright: sacked on 3.0% of dropbacks, 17th in FBS. James Madison throws it well: 0.28 EPA per pass, opponent-adjusted, 23rd in FBS.
What is James Madison bad at?
James Madison stalls on 3rd down: a 35.6% conversion rate, 99th of 134.
How good is James Madison's offensive line?
Big Uglies, our offensive line rating, has James Madison at 58.8, 13th of 138 (50 is average). It's 39th in adjusted line yards per carry (3.07), gets stuffed on 14.2% of runs (22nd fewest) and converts 77.5% of short-yardage runs (37th).
How good is James Madison's defensive line?
Big Uglies has James Madison's defensive front at 51.2, 61st of 138. It gives up 2.97 adjusted line yards per carry (71st), stuffs 17.7% of runs (84th) and gets a sack on 7.6% of dropbacks (35th).
Are James Madison's backs actually good, or is it all the offensive line?
James Madison's line is 39th of 138 in adjusted line yards per carry (3.07), the part of each run it earns. Its backs are 13th in adjusted open-field yards (1.37), the part they earn past 10 yards. Both: the line opens holes and the backs finish runs.
Who is James Madison's head coach?
Billy Napier, in his first season.
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Everything on this site starts with someone else's data, and we credit all of it. The projections, picks, rankings and tiers are our own math on top.
Where the data comes from
| Source | What we use | How often |
|---|---|---|
| CollegeFootballData.com, via the public cfbfastR files | Schedules, final scores, pregame Elo, play-by-play and box score stats, rosters | Usually posted Sunday or Monday morning after games |
| DraftKings lines (via The Odds API and CollegeFootballData.com) | The line and total on each game, and where each opened | Every morning, and before kickoffs Thursday to Saturday |
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| 247Sports | Team talent composite, star counts, 2026 transfer portal rankings | Preseason |
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| us-atlas (U.S. Census Bureau boundaries) | State shapes for the map | Once |
How we turn it into projections
- Projected score. Each team's SP+ offense, plus how far the opponent's SP+ defense is from average, plus special teams. The home team gets half of a 2.5-point home edge added and the visitor half subtracted.
- Win chance. The projected margin turned into a probability, assuming games usually land within about 14 points of the projection. A 0-point margin is 50%; 14 points is about 84%.
- The three ratings. SP+ is built from every play this season. PRIME is a possession-efficiency rating. Elo uses only final scores and carries over from year to year, with 55 Elo points of home edge.
- The numbers' pick. The team at least two of the three ratings favor, with our confidence the average of their three win chances for that team. On the game cards, a pick is a lock when all three favor the same team and the average win chance is 80% or more, a coin flip when it's under 55%, and a lean otherwise. Injuries can drop the tier: each key player out counts by what he does for his team (a starting quarterback is 2 points, the feature back or top receiver half a point, doubtful counts half), the other side's injuries offset, and 1 point drops a tier, 2 points two. The game page shows it as an injury alert. Nobody overrides the numbers' pick.
- CFB Charts Top 25. SP+, PRIME and strength of record, each converted to a common scale and averaged.
- Playoff picture. The 2026-27 rules: automatic bids for the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC champions (the current conference leader stands in until the title games) and for the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 or Sun Belt. Notre Dame is in if it ranks in the top 12. The rest are at-large teams by the chosen rating, and all 12 are seeded straight by that rating, so the top four get the byes. Once the committee's rankings are out (first release Tuesday, Nov. 3), they become the default ranking.
- Missing data. When a team's play-by-play is clearly incomplete (fewer than 45 offensive plays a game), we hide its offense stats instead of showing bad numbers.
Rushing yards here exclude sacks, so they run higher than official totals. Ranks are out of the 138 FBS teams.
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Every stat and term on the site, explained like you're five. Or like you're a grown adult who never asked what EPA means and is now too embarrassed to.
Ratings and advanced stats
What the numbers on team pages, charts and head to head mean.
- SP+
- Bill Connelly's rating, built from play-by-play efficiency and explosiveness and adjusted for who each team played. The number is how many points better than an average FBS team a team is on a neutral field. SP+ 20 beats SP+ 10 by about 10.
- PRIME
- A rating built possession by possession: how well a team turns drives into points and keeps opponents from doing the same, adjusted for opponents. Zero is an average FBS team.
- Elo
- A results-only rating. Every team has a number, 1500 is average, and the winner takes points from the loser after every game. Beat a great team and you take a lot. Beat a bad one and you take a few. It carries part of last season over, so it's slow to catch a team that changed.
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- How impressive a record is, given who a team played: how many more games it won than an average team would have against the same schedule. It grades the resume. SP+ and PRIME grade how good the team is.
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- How hard a team's opponents have been so far.
- Opponent-adjusted
- Corrected for who a team played. Hanging 50 on an FCS team counts for less than hanging 30 on Georgia.
- EPA (expected points added)
- Every down, distance and spot on the field is worth some number of points on average. 1st and 10 at the opponent's 20 is worth a lot more than 3rd and 15 at your own 10. EPA is how much one play changed that number. A 50-yard bomb is a big plus. A pick-six is a very big minus.
- EPA per play
- A team's average EPA across all its plays. For an offense, above zero means it adds points and higher is better. For a defense, lower is better.
- Success rate
- The share of plays that keep an offense on schedule: half the yards needed on 1st down, 70% of them on 2nd, all of them on 3rd and 4th. A 4-yard run on 1st and 10 is a success. A 4-yard run on 3rd and 6 isn't.
- Explosive play rate
- The share of plays that go for a run of 12 or more yards or a completion of 16 or more.
- Yards per play
- Total yards divided by plays: runs, passes and sacks.
- Sack rate
- Sacks divided by dropbacks. For an offense, lower is better. For a pass rush, higher is better.
- Turnover margin
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- Record Explained: Coaching, Experience, Incoming talent, Pure luck and Toughness of Schedule. Where a team's wins came from. Every team starts as a .500 team. The record above or below .500 gets split four ways that add up to the real record: schedule (what an average team would win against that schedule), roster (the wins its talent and returning starters are worth on paper), coach (wins from playing better or worse than that roster) and luck (actual wins against the wins its SP+ says it should have). On team pages and in two charts.
- Schedule, Roster, Coach and Luck RECEIPTS
- The four parts of RECEIPTS. Schedule: what an average team would win against that schedule, minus .500. Roster: the extra wins from a roster this good on paper (247Sports talent and returning production). Coach: wins from playing better or worse than that roster should. Luck: actual wins against the wins SP+ expects. Recruiting rankings undersell the service academies, so their coaches get extra credit.
- Luck watch
- A tag for a team whose Luck RECEIPTS is 1.5 wins or more either way: "Lucky +2.4" or "Unlucky −1.6." Its record runs ahead of (or behind) how it's played, and lines and polls often follow records.
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- 247Sports' score for a roster, built from every player's recruiting rating, with the best players counting most. The blue-chip ratio is the share of the roster that were 4- or 5-star recruits.
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How the picks, tiers and projections work. The full method is on Sources and methods.
- Projected score
- Each team's SP+ offense, adjusted for how good the other team's defense is, plus special teams. The home team gets 2.5 points of home edge, split between the two scores.
- Win chance
- The projected margin turned into a percentage, assuming games usually land within about 14 points of the projection. A tie projection is 50%. A 14-point favorite is about 84%.
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- The team at least two of SP+, PRIME and Elo favor. The confidence is the average of their three win chances. Nobody overrides it.
- Lock, Lean, Coin flip and Stay away
- How sure the numbers are about a straight-up pick. Lock: SP+, PRIME and Elo all favor the same team and the average win chance is 80% or more. Lean: the ratings favor the team, but not that strongly or not all three. Coin flip: the average win chance is under 55%. Stay away: injuries take the pick down. Key players count by what they do for the team: a starting quarterback out is 2 points, the feature back, top receiver or top pass rusher half a point, the No. 2 receiver or playmaker a quarter, and a short-handed line or secondary half a point. Doubtful counts half. When the picked team's points, minus the other side's, reach 1, the pick drops a tier (a Lock to a Lean, a Lean or Coin flip to Stay away); at 2 it drops two.
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- 12 teams, under the 2026-27 rules. Automatic bids go to the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC champions, and to the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 or Sun Belt. Until the title games, each conference's current leader stands in as its champion.
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Your bracket
What's in it
- Thursday: the picks. The week's best games, the upset we like, projected scores for the big ones, and charts worth arguing about.
- Monday: the retro. How the picks did, the record so far, what we got wrong and why.
- Every issue, on the site. Past issues will live here, so you can link anyone to them.
The first issue is coming soon.
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Beating the trend
Trailing the trend
Projected scores come from SP+ offense, defense and special teams, plus 2.5 points for the home team. Cards also show DraftKings' line and total as facts: we pick winners, not bets. Open Details for the full read, or Head to head for every stat.
This week
Final scores against what we said before kickoff. The numbers' pick is the team at least two of SP+, PRIME and Elo favored. Ranked means in that week's AP poll. Open a game for the full preview as it stood going into the week.
Last week
All-time picks record
Straight-up picks: did the pick win? The numbers' pick is the team at least two of SP+, PRIME and Elo favor. The numbers' and SP+ picks start in Week 8; Elo picks go back to Week 1.
Week by week
Each column is that week's ranking. Arrows compare the latest poll to the week before. NR means not ranked.
Rankings come from cfbtrack.com. Week 1 is the preseason poll; each later week is the poll released before that week's games.
Over time
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Rank
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Compare
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SP+ vs. payroll is the average, across a conference's teams with an NIL valuation (positive means its teams play better than their payrolls predict). Blue-chip ratio is the share of all its rostered players who were 4- or 5-star recruits.
Ranks are national, out of 138 FBS teams. A top-10 team also counts toward the top 25 and top 40, and everyone outside the last cutoff counts as weak. Open a conference to see its teams.
Conference depth
Projected bracket
Seeds 1–4 get first-round byes. Seeds 5–8 host the first round.
The field and the bubble
The columns on the right show where each team would be seeded under the other ratings. A dash means out.
How the field is built
- 12 teams. Five get in automatically: the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC champions, plus the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 or Sun Belt (champion or not).
- Notre Dame is in if it ranks in the top 12.
- At-large. The remaining spots go to the highest-ranked teams left. If an automatic qualifier ranks outside the top 12, it takes the last at-large spot.
- Seeding follows the ranking, as it has since 2025. A conference champion isn't guaranteed a bye.
- Champions mid-season. "Current conference leader" uses the best conference record so far, with ties broken by the chosen rating. "Highest-rated team" picks the best-rated team in each conference instead.
- Composite averages SP+, PRIME and strength of record after putting each on a common scale.
- This is a projection from today's numbers. The real field is chosen by a committee on Dec. 6, after conference title games.
How we picked it
How we picked it
Three ratings look at a team in three different ways. The numbers' pick is the team at least two of them favor.
Where the game is won
Where the game is won
Each row puts one team's unit against the unit it faces, by national rank out of all FBS teams. An edge is a gap of 25 spots or more.
Injuries and availability
Statuses come from the conference availability reports and team news, as of the date shown. "Hasn't played" means a regular (the main passer, a quarter of the carries or 15% of the catches) with no pass, carry or catch in his team's last two games, from the play-by-play. That can be an injury, a benching or a suspension. Linemen and defenders don't show up in that check.
The teams in charts
The players in charts
FAQ
Keep going
Ratings: SP+ via CFB Update; PRIME via primecfb.com. Box and play stats computed from CollegeFootballData.com play data (via the public cfbfastR files), FBS games only for scoring. Rushing yards here exclude sacks, so they run higher than official totals. Ranks are out of 138 FBS teams.