Commonwealth Collegiate Rankings Week 15 (12-10-2025)
By: Joe Dillard Jr.
Headline Photo Credit: Devin Roche-ODU
I really don’t think we need to go over what transpired this past week in football, as it might have been historically one of the biggest weekends in Virginia Collegiate football history with one teams chances to go to the College Football Playoff on the line in Virginia and the freshly crowned SunBelt Champions in James Madison who was awaiting the winner of the ACC Championship to see if they had a chance.
Of course, there are sides but in this prime position, I stated we are guaranteed a representative from the state in the CFP which is huge and nothing slights the way the SEC stacks teams and wins against the bottom half and survives the three teams they play that are tough which ends up looking like every other conference. ODU got robbed of an opportunity as the Sun Belt conference got it wrong this season or maybe they got it right since the ACC does not have its champion appear in the playoffs. Troy lost to JMU 31-14 while ODU beat Troy 33-0 and had the same record. A tough pill to swallow as they have to turn around and try to obtain 10 wins and a bowl victory as they play South Florida on December 17th in the StaffDNA Cure Bowl game in Orlando, Florida.
No need for change in the rankings as this season I have been rather accurate as the teams that have thrived have been in position to take advantage of it. With only three teams remaining, we will see how things finally settle.
10. Virginia State University (6-4).
9. Shenandoah College (8-3)
8. College of William and Mary (7-5)
7. University of Richmond (7-5)
6. Virginia Union University #17 (9-3
5. Randolph Macon College #17 (9-2)
4. Christopher Newport University #7 (10-1)
3. Old Dominion University (9-3) Only one of three teams left playing in the state and it’s for the StaffDNA Cure Bowl title as they will face South Florida in what will appear to be a road game but at least in sunny Orlando. 10 wins and a ring is the main motivation here so this should be a great opportunity for this bunch. Might even finish number 2 on this list pending bowl results.
2. University of Virginia #20 (10-3) UVA is another team heading to Florida but to play in a top 25 matchup against Missouri in the Taxslayer Gator Bowl. Virginia can cap off a great season with a win and build off of the success or with a loss this could be a problem that should be fixed with all of the great things Tony Elliot has done to build the program up to sustain national recognition. Some whisper about the offensive production or lack thereof in the losses. That could be an offensive coordinator issue there. Whatever the results bring I am sure they will still be wondering what could have been but ultimately should be saying what’s next as the program continues to get better each season.
1. James Madison University #12 (12-1) Thanksgiving passed but I know the Dukes were thankful for the Duke Blue Devils’ victory as they made James Madison the first school out of the state of Virginia to compete for a national championship during the College Football Playoff era. Playing four quarters against Troy is what the doctor ordered and that might prove more worthy than a blowout win. Playing four quarters will be a requirement but will the offense be able to keep up with the pace of Oregon? Traveling to Eugene, Oregon, the Dukes will need to pack their cape and crown to handle business. This draw of Oregon and Texas Tech could be the right matchups to have the nation talking about JMU. One game, one quarter, one possession, and one play at a time will be necessary.
