Battle of the Blue Ridge

1980s

The rivalry began in 1980 when James Madison, in its first year as an NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) program, scheduled Liberty Baptist College (now Liberty University), which was in its final year as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Dukes would win the matchup 30–14 in Harrisonburg.^[1]

In 1981, Liberty left the NAIA and joined the NCAA as a Division II member.^[2] The Flames and Dukes would play one another this season as well, with the Dukes winning 36–14 in Lynchburg.^[1]

Liberty would remain a Division II program until 1987. During this period, The two schools would face each other an additional four times, with the matchups being split evenly at two wins for each school.^[1]

In 1988, Liberty would move up a division to Division I-AA,^[2] the same level as James Madison. The 1988 matchup between the two schools was the first where both were a member of the same football subdivision. James Madison would win that game, while Liberty would win the final match of the decade the following year in 1989.^[1]

1990s

The Dukes and the Flames met only three times on the gridiron in the 1990s, all of which were in the beginning half of the decade. Liberty would take the decade series 2–1 over James Madison, with the road team winning all three matchups.^[1]

2000s

During the 2000s, the schools met four times, with James Madison winning all the matchups. The rivalry saw its largest margin of victory when James Madison defeated Liberty by 42 points, 48-6, in Harrisonburg in 2003.^[3]

2010s

During the 2010s, the rivalry remained quiet, with the schools playing one another an additional three times in the decade, two of which were scheduled in 2010 and 2011. James Madison would win both of the matchups, extending their win streak in the series to a record six consecutive victories.

The rivalry gained national attention in 2014, when Liberty upset No. 15 James Madison 26–21 in Harrisonburg during the first round of the FCS Playoffs. The victory marked Liberty’s first-ever postseason win and ended James Madison’s six-game winning streak in the series.^[4]

The matchup has been characterized as one of Virginia's biggest non-conference rivalries. Fox News wrote in March 2015 that it is "by far the biggest non-conference game of the season" and carries “Super Bowl-like” importance.^[5]

In 2018, after attempting and failing to receive an invite from the Sun Belt Conference.^[6] Liberty moved up from FCS to FBS after being granted a waiver to play as an independent.^[7]

2020s

In 2022, James Madison joined Liberty in the FBS after accepting an invitation from the Sun Belt Conference.^[8] Liberty joined Conference USA from being an independent the following year.^[9]

The schools have not played since the FCS playoff game in 2014. However, in 2024, they announced the series would be resuming in 2025 with a matchup in Lynchburg, followed by a return in Harrisonburg in 2026.^[10]

Prior to the 2025 matchup, the schools announced that the rivalry would be called the Battle of the Blue Ridge and unveiled a trophy.^[11] After an eleven year hiatus the Dukes and Flames met on the field again on September 20. Despite the game being tied at halftime. The Dukes would take care of the Flames in the second half to win 31–13.^[12] As part of the 2025 season, the Dukes would go on and play Oregon in the College Football Playoff.^[13]

The 2026 game marked the beginning of the Billy Napier era at James Madison after previous coach Bob Chesney left to become the head coach of the UCLA Bruins.^[14] The contest was scheduled for a noon kickoff on ESPNU but was delayed by thunderstorms in Harrisonburg. After the weather cleared during pregame warm-ups, the Dukes were assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty when defensive lineman Kells Bush intentionally ran into Liberty safety Izaiah Guy. The Dukes scored first and led 17–6 at halftime. Despite a late surge by the Flames, James Madison never relinquished the lead and won, 20–13.^[15]

Future matchups

Starting in the 2031 season, the Dukes and Flames will meet every season through 2040, with the exception of 2035.^[10][11]