Andy BackstromContributing writerSat, December 6, 2025 at 3:49 AM UTC·5 min readRelentless running and defensive intensity allowed No. 25 James Madison to hold off Troy Friday night in the Sun Belt championship despite a collection of turnovers, drops, penalties and failed third downs.
The Dukes' 31-14 victory gives them a legit shot to make the College Football Playoff.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFittingly, the conference's player of the year delivered the clinching touchdown in the league's title game, which was played in a chilly Harrisonburg, Virginia, that had just received about 1 1/2 inches of snow.
With less than five minutes remaining and JMU (12-1, 8-0 Sun Belt) up on Troy (8-5, 6-2) 17-14, quarterback Alonza Barnett III evaded three tacklers on a keeper that he reversed field on while taking it 26 yards to the end zone.
On Troy's next possession, Dukes defensive lineman Sahir West flew off the line and strip-sacked Trojans backup quarterback Tucker Kilcrease, who came in for an injured Goose Crowder in the fourth quarter. Linebacker Drew Spinogatti picked up the loose ball and sprinted for a 22-yard scoop-and-score to put the exclamation point on JMU's win.
West finished with 5.5 TFLs and a trio of sacks. Running back Wayne Knight piled up 212 rushing yards on 21 carries, one of which went for a 73-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Dukes survived seven penalties and a poor start that saw them go 0 of 7 on third down in the first half. Their defense, which held Troy to a mere 177 yards, bailed them out repeatedly — in the second half, too. Most notably, JMU followed up back-to-back third-quarter giveaways with defensive stands. The first led to a missed Troy field goal attempt, and the next forced a Trojans three-and-out.
Now all attention turns to Charlotte, where No. 17 Virginia will play an unranked Duke team in the ACC championship. JMU likely needs the Blue Devils to pull off a chaos-inviting upset that could make the Dukes one of the five highest-ranked conference champions come Sunday.
How would the Dukes get in?
Power conference champions aren't guaranteed a seat at the 12-team CFP table. The five automatic bids go to the five highest-ranked conference champions, period. That includes the Group of Five.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLast year, Boise State was the lone Group of Five team to make the field. The Broncos were 12-1 with a Mountain West title in hand. Their only regular-season loss came on the road against Oregon, which needed a last-second field goal to hold off Boise State for a 37-34 win before going undefeated in the Big Ten and winning the conference in its first year as a member of the league.
This time around, however, there could be two Group of Five teams vying for a national championship. The winner of the American title game between No. 24 North Texas and No. 20 Tulane is a surefire bet to make the playoff. The Dukes' chances to join them largely hinge on the ACC championship.
A UVA loss would open the door to nearby JMU. So, yes, the Dukes are rooting for Duke, which finds itself playing for a league title despite five regular-season defeats. It's been that kind of year for the ACC.
Duke started the season 1-2, suffering setbacks to then-No. 11 Illinois and then-unranked Tulane before the beginning of conference competition. But then Manny Diaz's group rebounded to go 6-2 in league play, its only other defeat arriving in a non-conference game against a nine-win UConn team.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOne of the Blue Devils' two ACC blemishes, though, was a 34-17 loss to UVA, which was up 31-3 headed into the final frame of that Nov. 15 matchup. Still, a slip-up from the Cavaliers isn't out of the question. They nearly fell to Bill Belichick's North Carolina earlier this season, and they dropped a Week 2 game versus North Carolina State that only doesn't count against their ACC record because of a scheduling quirk following the league's expansion. As for their Week 11 defeat to Wake Forest, that can be partly chalked up to quarterback Chandler Morris going out with a second-quarter injury.
But the point is, UVA isn't foolproof. No team is in the ACC this season. At 10-2, No. 12 Miami is on the outside looking in of the title game and is at the mercy of a CFP selection committee that will weigh its résumé against other at-large candidates, most notably two-loss and 10th-ranked Notre Dame.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBefore Friday night, JMU had streak of dominance
The Dukes shot themselves in the foot time and time again in the Sun Belt title game against Troy. Their performance versus the Trojans didn't tell the story of their season.
JMU went 11-1 in the regular season, only falling to Louisville in Week 2. That game, however, was tied 14-14 entering the fourth quarter.
Head coach Bob Chesney, who will be off to UCLA after the season, led the Dukes to an 8-0 record in Sun Belt play. In the three games leading up to the conference championship, his team topped App State, Washington State and Coastal Carolina by a combined score of 141-40.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementComing into Friday, JMU ranked first in the Sun Belt in points per game (37.8), rushing yards per game (239.8), third-down conversion rate (50.63%), red zone touchdown percentage (73.21%), fewest points per game allowed (16.0) and fewest total yards per game allowed (253.5).
The Dukes were three-plus touchdown favorites against Troy for a reason. They didn't gain the style points they could have in the title game, but they found a way to win, preserving their CFP chances.
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