Overview
- No. 25 James Madison (11-1) hosts Troy on Friday at 7 p.m. ET in Harrisonburg, with ESPN televising the Sun Belt final.
- With automatic bids reserved for the five highest-ranked conference champions, the AAC winner (Tulane or North Texas) is expected to claim one spot, leaving JMU needing a win and an ACC upset to contend.
- BetMGM lists James Madison as a heavy favorite over Troy, with the spread around -23.5 as of Dec. 4.
- Duke reached the ACC title game via the league’s multi-team tiebreaker, and a Blue Devils win over Virginia could open a path for JMU to become the fifth highest-ranked conference champion.
- Coach Bob Chesney is expected to coach JMU despite his reported move to UCLA, and the school’s search reportedly features former Florida coach Billy Napier; the CFP field will be unveiled Sunday at noon ET.