HARRISONBURG — Bob Trott will tell you it’s only significant because it’s the next one.

In his first season at James Madison, the veteran defensive coordinator with more than 40 years of coaching experience in college and the NFL, refuses to make any single game more important than it needs to be.

“Yes, I know where the stadium is,” Trott said. “But I’m excited because we’re getting ready to play to lead for the championship. It’s all it is. It’s the next game.”

Today, Trott returns to Richmond, where he spent the last six years in the same role.

The Dukes and Spiders renew their rivalry in a Colonial Athletic Association matchup of nationally ranked top-10 squads. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m., and Trott’s fingerprints are all over the game.

JMU (7-1, 5-0) was ranked No. 5 in the initial FCS Championship Committee Poll released on Thursday. Richmond (7-1, 4-1) was slotted at No. 7. Madison also enters the contest with a chance to continue controlling its own destiny toward an

outright CAA title. The Dukes are the only CAA team without a loss in the league.

With a victory, Richmond can bolster its playoff résumé and give itself a chance to win the CAA.

“There’s no doubt we talk about it,” Richmond quarterback Kyle Lauletta said. “And not only for the possession of the CAA championship, but we also know seeding for the playoffs are huge.

“Last year, we had to travel to the FargoDome and go to North Dakota State and that’s something we want to try to avoid. If we can win this game and then win the next two, it’ll put us in a much better position heading into the playoffs. Whoever wins this will be in a good position moving forward.”

For JMU to remain unblemished, Trott’s defense must slow Lauletta. The Richmond junior quarterback leads the CAA in passing completions, yards and touchdowns.

Richmond has the second-best scoring offense and rushing offense in the league, behind JMU.

“In terms of a complete offense, it’s probably the best we’ve seen since North Carolina,” JMU coach Mike Houston said. “They have the ability to run behind one of the better offensive lines in the this league. Then obviously the quarterback, he has a tremendous ability to throw the ball.”

Lauletta, who spent the last few seasons working against Trott’s defense at practice, said he was able to notice a few differences between the system Trott installed at Richmond and what Trott’s defense looks like now at JMU.

“One of the immediate differences that I noticed is that they’re more primarily 4-3 than 4-2-5,” Lauletta said. “They have four guys down in the dirt and we kind of have that ‘KAT’ player that stands up near the line, but the coverage and structures have a lot of similarities from what I’ve seen the past three years, and it’s something I’m familiar with.

“It’s been a successful defense for us and it’s certainly a hard one to throw on. And just because you know what defense they’re running, doesn’t make it any easier to throw on or mean you’ll have all the answers.”

Richmond coach Danny Rocco said Trott is probably blitzing more frequently at JMU.

“He likes to change things up with pressure and we’ve seen a number of pressures,” Rocco said. “He’s probably pressuring a little bit more this year than maybe he did here the last couple of seasons with me.”

Trott said there are differences in the scheme because JMU’s roster isn’t made up of the same players he had at his disposal at Richmond.

When Richmond beat JMU in Harrisonburg last fall, Lauletta threw for 415 yards and two touchdowns. In the win, his top target was wide receiver Brian Brown. The duo connected seven times for 204 yards and a touchdown.

Brown has seven touchdowns this season.

JMU senior cornerback Taylor Reynolds said one crucial element to stopping Lauletta will be to identify where Brown lines up before each snap.

“If I could go one-on-one with Brown every play, I’d love to,” Reynolds said. “But as a defense, we’ll do a good job of knowing where he is and also scheming up Lauletta. We know they have a great offense and have a lot of weapons, but I think Coach Trott has a great plan for us.”

When JMU is on offense, boasting the second-best scoring unit in the country, it must find ways into the end zone against the defense Trott built.

More recently, the Dukes have found their success through the air.

In wins over New Hampshire and Rhode Island, junior quarterback Bryan Schor threw for a combined 573 yards and nine touchdowns.

Senior wide receiver Domo Taylor said JMU’s passing attack has improved because Schor trusts his receivers.

“Schor had a great week last week, going 21-of-22 and some of that is because when we practice, we build chemistry,” Taylor said. “We work on the deep ball all the time. After a while, you get a feel for it, like when it’s landing and where it’s coming. It’s crazy because you can feel when the ball is coming your way.”

Trott said he doesn’t know if the game will result in a 59-49 shootout like last year, but he does think it should be a good one.

“All I know is that there’s two good teams with really good players that want to win, and that’s what college football is all about,” Trott said.