Named in honor of the fourth President of the United States, James Madison University nuzzles into the Shenandoah Valley in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Rolling mountains rise in the distance framing this campus founded in 1908. As a newer FBS member, JMU has effortlessly transferred their FCS name brand into the highest level of college football. Lesser known before, James Madison is rapidly being recognized as a notable hotspot.
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Boone, North Carolina is set within the Blue Ridge Mountains which embrace the picturesque Appalachian State University. Few settings can rival the rolling peaks and rising bluffs that beautify Boone. It’s no wonder they are the Mountaineers – a geographically fitting name that equally embodies the spirit at App. The raucous fanbase that crowds Kidd Brewer Stadium on gamedays showcases this fervor for the black and gold.
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Crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel brings you to Norfolk, Virginia, home of the Old Dominion Monarchs. The Commonwealth of Virginia is known as “The Old Dominion” because it was the original colony and first dominion of England. In those early days of the New World, King Charles II coined this nickname because of Virginia’s loyalty to the crown during the English Civil War. Of course, that would change in the years ahead, but the name “Old Dominion” still stands as a time capsule of these early colonial days. The irony is that Old Dominion is one of the newest dominions on the terrain of college football having just established a team in 2009.
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Coastal Carolina University was established in 1954, and broke from the University of South Carolina system in 1993. As an independent public university, Coastal ascended to the FBS in 2017 becoming a formidable force on the gridiron. Situated near Myrtle Beach, CCU calls Conway home with a charming college campus saturated in spirit.
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Located in Mobile, South Alabama is one of the youngest college football programs in the FBS. Established in 2009, the Jaguars were tenants of Ladd-Peebles Stadium for its first ten years of existence. Now the proud residents of the sparkling new Hancock Whitney Stadium, South Alabama is rapidly establishing the gameday traditions that make college football so special.
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Jonesboro is one of those tiny college towns that comes alive on game day. Centennial Bank Stadium, playfully nicknamed the vault, is home to the Arkansas State red wolves.
GEORGIA STATE – GEORGIA DOME
Georgia State’s football program is young. Most teams date back to the early 1900s or late 1800s. Georgia State’s inaugural season was 2010.
It was Bill Curry, former Kentucky and Alabama head coach, who chose to return to the sidelines to help build the foundation for this brand-new program. Georgia State certainly endured a healthy dose of growing pains, but with Bill Curry’s guidance he was able to pass the baton onto a new head coach who has since taken them to their first ever bowl game.
UPDATE: Georgia State now plays at the new Georgia State Stadium – CFT WILL RETURN! http://stadium.gsu.edu
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TROY – VETERAN’S MEMORIAL STADIUM
Passion for football in the south does not solely reside inside the cavernous stadiums of the SEC. The tiny town of Troy, Alabama is proof of this fact. Game days begin with the Trojan marching band, The Sound of the South, gathering on the open green outside Veteran’s Memorial Stadium. Fans converge upon this spot to hear this active and talented band preview the upcoming halftime show. The band and fans then work together to form a tunnel leading the Trojan football team into the stadium. T-ROY, the Trojan mascot, along with a host of cheerleaders, greet the coaches and players as they exit their bus and lead the team through the band and the fans who stretch on their tiptoes to catch a glimpse. The band stays and entertains a while longer after the team enters their locker room and game day is officially underway.