Why James Madison football's undefeated season may cost them a bowl game

There are currently 11 undefeated college football teams left in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ahead of Week 8. The James Madison Dukes, however, cannot appear in a bowl game in 2023 due to an NCAA rule, except on a technicality.

Out of the 133 schools in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), there are currently only 11 undefeated college football teams remaining as we head into Week 8. The Big Ten conference boasts the most undefeated teams with three: No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Ohio State, and No. 6 Penn State. The ACC follows closely behind with two undefeated teams in No. 4 Florida State and No. 10 North Carolina.

The remaining six undefeated teams come from six different conferences. The Big 12 has No. 7 Oklahoma, Conference USA has Liberty, the Mountain West has No. 22 Air Force, the Pac-12 has No. 5 Washington, the SEC has No. 1 Georgia, and the Sun Belt has James Madison.

While all of these teams have a strong chance of making it to one of the 42 NCAA bowl games at the end of the 2023 season, there is one exception. Due to an NCAA rule, James Madison cannot appear in a bowl game in 2023, except under certain circumstances.

The James Madison football program was established in the early 1970s after the school transitioned to a co-educational institution in 1966. Dr. Ronald E. Carrier, the president of James Madison University from 1971 to 1988, believed that starting a football program would change the campus culture and showcase the institution as truly coeducational.

The program faced a rough start in the 1972 season, with the Dukes needing coaches to fill in during practices to form two teams for scrimmage purposes. Coach Challace McMillin, who initially came to James Madison to launch a track and field program, quickly turned the team around. In just three years, the Dukes went from winless to undefeated, earning the Virginia College Athletic Association division title in 1975 with a 9-0-1 record.

It took another 12 years for the Dukes to reach the playoffs in the Football Conference Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA. In 1991, they secured their first playoff win under coach Rip Scherer. In 2004, under coach Mickey Matthews, the Dukes won their first FCS title in a victory over Montana.

Since their 2004 title season, the Dukes have consistently made it to the FCS playoffs and have not had a losing season. They claimed their second FCS title in 2016 under coach Mike Houston. In 2021, after winning their fifth Colonial Athletic Association Conference title in six years, the school's athletic program decided to move up to the FBS and join the Sun Belt Conference starting in the 2022-23 academic year.

Moving from the FCS to the FBS can be a challenging transition for any program, regardless of conference. The change in competition also comes with eligibility requirements across the athletic program. According to NCAA bylaws, programs must wait two years before becoming eligible for a bowl game, as per the latest bylaw change in 2017.

Since 2008, a total of 13 teams have made the move from the FCS level to the FBS. However, James Madison has had a successful start in the FBS. In their first season, they finished with an 8-3 record, including a win over then-No. 23 Coastal Carolina. Only two other teams, Georgia Southern in 2014 and UTSA in 2012, managed to achieve at least eight wins in their inaugural FBS season since 2008.

James Madison athletics filed a waiver request to shorten the reclassification period to one year, but the NCAA denied the request in April. Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, an alum of James Madison, wrote a letter urging the NCAA to reconsider the decision. However, NCAA President Charlie Baker rejected the request in a letter on Wednesday.

Despite these setbacks, there is still a possibility for the Dukes to participate in a bowl game in 2023. FBS bowl games require teams to win at least six games with a minimum 0.500 win percentage. If there aren't enough teams that meet this criteria, James Madison could be selected, as stated in Baker's letter.

James Madison is currently 6-0 this season, with wins against Virginia and Utah State. They have already met the standard bowl requirements and now just need at least one spot to open up in the FBS bowl schedule to have a chance.

This week, the Dukes will face the Marshall Thundering Herd, a Sun Belt Conference opponent, on Thursday night. The game will take place at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia, and will be televised on ESPN and the ESPN App.

According to the latest odds from BetMGM, James Madison is slightly favored over Marshall. However, Marshall has a perfect 3-0 record against James Madison in their previous matchups. Despite this, sports media outlets such as Fox Sports, Action Network, Covers, and Athlon Sports are all predicting that the Dukes will secure their first win against the Thundering Herd this week.

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