Wk 1 · 2026
Liberty Flames at James Madison Dukes — Sat, Sep 5
Sat, Sep 5 ·
Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, VA
· ESPNU FINAL
Weather
No forecast yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
at
12:00pET
JMU -6 · total 50.5 DraftKings opened -6.5 · 0.5 toward LIB
Ratings differential JMU by 10.6
What is at stake
A non-conference game. It moves both overall records but neither conference race.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
Liberty form
W 35-3vs SHSUW 30-14at DELW 34-17at CCUW 51-15vs BALLW 24-23vs GWEB
2026 season
James Madison form
W 27-24at GASOW 45-17vs MRSHW 46-20at ODUW 26-13at SDSUW 87-3vs WAG
2026 season
Liberty this season
Straight up5-1 · 83% (6 games)
Against the spread4-2 · 67% (6 games)
Over / under2-4 · 33% (6 games)
James Madison this season
Straight up6-0 · 100% (6 games)
Against the spread5-1 · 83% (6 games)
Over / under3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 1
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, James Madison leads 2–0 · James Madison has won the last 2
2 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
12.5 points toward James Madison
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-09-05 | Liberty 13 — 20 James Madison | at JMU | James Madison |
| 2025 | 2025-09-20 | James Madison 31 — 13 Liberty | at LIB | James Madison |
Liberty leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Deshawn Purdie QB #5 | 70/114, 1050 YDS, 8 TD |
| Jaylen Henderson QB #13 | 5/13, 101 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Rushing | Kam Davis RB #4 | 74 CAR, 524 YDS, 4 TD |
| Peyton Jones RB #7 | 56 CAR, 259 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Jaylon Coleman RB #0 | 24 CAR, 238 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Makai Jackson WR #2 | 22 REC, 515 YDS, 5 TD |
| Jamari Person WR #3 | 12 REC, 166 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Darius Copeland WR #1 | 8 REC, 125 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Zeke Wimbush TE #88 | 7 REC, 88 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Derrell Farrar LB #1 | 33 |
| Aidan Vaughan LB #33 | 33 | |
| Jeremiah Vessel S #13 | 22 | |
| Sacks | Brenton Williams RB #8 | 2.5 |
| Markus Clark DL #15 | 1.5 | |
| Deuce Spurlock LB #9 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Elijah Hopkins CB #5 | 1 |
| Deuce Spurlock LB #9 | 1 | |
| Jeremiah Vessel S #13 | 1 |
James Madison leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Camden Coleman QB #7 | 80/127, 979 YDS, 10 TD, 1 INT |
| Arrington Maiden QB #5 | 7/8, 111 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Rushing | George Pettaway RB #6 | 74 CAR, 497 YDS, 6 TD |
| Nick Herman RB #23 | 38 CAR, 260 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Camden Coleman QB #7 | 28 CAR, 94 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Corey Scott WR #3 | 21 REC, 289 YDS, 4 TD |
| Braeden Wisloski WR #10 | 13 REC, 165 YDS | |
| Cole Keller TE #0 | 12 REC, 163 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Michael Scott WR #17 | 11 REC, 129 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Nakian Jackson LB #2 | 43 |
| Jayon Harvey S #24 | 36 | |
| JT Hooten LB #15 | 27 | |
| Sacks | JT Hooten LB #15 | 2.5 |
| Danny Royster EDGE #17 | 1.5 | |
| Kells Bush DL #88 | 1.5 | |
| Interceptions | DJ Kelly CB #6 | 3 |
| Jamal Olford CB #27 | 1 | |
| JT Hooten LB #15 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.