James Madison Football

James Madison's magical season came to an end in a not so magical way on Saturday.

The Dukes faced a 31-21 loss to Air Force in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl under interim head coach Damian Wroblewski, who took over after Curt Cignetti went to Indiana following the conclusion of the regular season.

Following the loss, college football fans called JMU fraud for going 11-1 in the regular season just to get blown out in its bowl game.

The lack of a run defense was ultimately what hurt the Dukes. James Madison gave up a whopping 340 yards on the ground, and it was more than enough for Air Force to control the game.

Now James Madison is gearing up for its third year in FBS with a new coach, Bob Chesney, at the helm. The Dukes had a positive season, but faced the reality of the challenges of FBS in their bowl game.

The James Madison Dukes are officially going bowling.

The Dukes went 11-1 in 2023, but were ineligible for postseason play due to the NCAA transition rule that has teams transferring levels ineligible for the first two seasons at their new level. Given that James Madison is in year two of its FCS-to-FBS transition, this impacted the program's eligibility.

The only way the Dukes could qualify for the postseason was if there were not enough bowl eligible teams for the available games, but Brett McMurphy of Action Network reported that this scenario was officially clinched.

McMurphy reported that there are currently 78 bowl eligible teams for 82 spots, and James Madison and Jacksonville State, who transitioned to the FBS level this season, get first dibs among the non-bowl eligible teams.

The Dukes and Gamecocks could also be joined by Minnesota and Mississippi State as bowl-ineligible teams in the postseason if both California and Colorado State lose their final games Saturday.

The Dukes desire to play in a postseason bowl has been well documented, especially given the quick success the program has had during its brief tenure in the FBS. The Dukes went 8-3 and 2022 and are 19-4 overall since the transition.

The Dukes earned a victory over Power-5 Virginia and it's only blemish this season was at the hands of Appalachian State in overtime Nov. 18. While this season should be worthy of a potential New Year's Six bowl game, the fact that the Dukes will have the chance to contend for a bowl in the first place is a huge boost for the program.

Virginia attorney general Jason Miyares is threatening to take legal action against the NCAA after James Madison was deemed ineligible for a bowl game.

ESPN's Pete Thamel obtained a letter from a law firm engaged by Miyares that was sent to the NCAA:

"We are prepared to act on behalf of JMU in the unfortunate circumstance that JMU's request for relief is not timely approved. Specifically, JMU is prepared to promptly file a lawsuit in the Western District of Virginia asserting that the bowl ban violates the antitrust and, potentially, other laws."

Miyares also provided a statement to Thamel, calling the NCAA's decision "extremely disappointing" and it "made an arbitrary and capricious decision that has an anti-competitive and profoundly negative impact on student-athletes, JMU, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and collegiate football as a whole."

Per The Athletic's Chris Vannini and Nicole Auerbach, the NCAA Division I Board Administration Committee rejected James Madison's waiver request for full bowl eligibility this season.

Thamel noted the letter lays the groundwork for an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA.

This was the second time James Madison applied for a bowl-eligibility waiver. The original one was filed and rejected in the spring.

Per NCAA bylaws, football programs moving from FCS to FBS are required to take a two-year transition that makes them ineligible for postseason bowl games.

The Dukes are in their second season as an FBS program after making the move up to join the Sun Belt Conference in 2022.

In a statement about its decision on Wednesday (h/t Thamel), the NCAA Board of Directors Administrative Committee cited "factors beyond athletics performance" as part of the two-year FCS-to-FBS transition requirement.

"They are intended to ensure schools are properly evaluating their long-term sustainability in the subdivision," the statement said.

While the NCAA has rejected the school's waiver request, Thamel did note College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock left open the possibility James Madison could play in a bowl game if there aren't enough teams eligible for postseason play.

"The facts here haven't changed regarding JMU," Hancock said on Wednesday. "The committee considers all teams that are eligible to play in the postseason, and that's where things stand."

James Madison went 8-3 and won the Sun Belt East Division with a head-to-head win over Coastal Carolina in the regular-season finale last year, but the Chanticleers got to play for the conference championship against Troy because the Dukes couldn't play in a bowl game.

Head coach Curt Cignetti once again has James Madison playing at a high level. The team is 10-0, ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press Top 25 and has already won the Sun Belt East Division with two games remaining in the regular season.

James Madison, Jacksonville State and Tarleton State had their waiver requests for postseason eligibility again rejected on Wednesday by the NCAA, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN.

James Madison and Jacksonville State are each in the second year of the mandatory two-year transition period as they each move from the FCS level to FBS. During those two years, they aren't bowl eligible at the FBS level unless there aren't enough teams with .500 or better records to fill out the bowl slots.

Tarleton State, meanwhile, is in the fourth and final year of its transitionary period from Division II to FCS.

"We're obviously disappointed in the outcome of the NCAA's review of our request for bowl relief," James Madison said in a statement Wednesday. "We're saddened for our university community and, in particular, we're devastated for our football program, the coaches and student-athletes who have orchestrated an amazing season and earned the opportunity."

James Madison currently sits at 10-0, is 18-3 in its transitionary period, is ranked 18th in the Associated Press Poll and would have potentially been in line to earn a New Year's Six bowl game as the highest-ranked team from a Group of 5 conference.

Currently, they are not eligible to be ranked in the College Football Playoff rankings and thus wouldn't be in line for such a bowl. The school's hope was that its strong play in the Sun Belt Conference, where it sits in first place, would have convinced the NCAA to waive its transitionary period and consider it an FBS school this season.

Wednesday's ruling also means that James Madison is ineligible to play in the Sun Belt Conference championship game.

In its request last week, James Madison noted that its "student-athletes have achieved an astonishing, unprecedented level of success during this period" and that no other school has ever had the level of success that James Madison has had during the transitionary period.

"Our student-athletes have done everything the right way, and they view the postseason prohibition in this instance as inexplicable punishment in light of the NCAA's stated priorities," the school added at the time. "As many commentators have noted, this is an opportunity for the NCAA to do the right thing for our student-athletes and recognize their exceptional efforts on and off the field."

James Madison may still get a bowl game, but it will be a far less appealing and prestigious one than it would have potentially gotten if the NCAA had approved its request to become an FCS school this season.

James Madison formally petitioned for the NCAA to relax its rules prohibiting the program from earning a postseason bowl berth this year.

The Dukes are 9-0, which would ordinarily mean competing in a bowl game and perhaps earning a New Year's Six bid. However, NCAA rules stipulate a team is ineligible for a bowl within the first two years of moving from the FCS to the FBS levels.

The school wrote a letter to the NCAA requesting to attain bowl eligibillity:

James Madison went 8-3 and finished first in the Sun Belt East division in 2022. On the heels of that success, the school appealed to the NCAA to have the bowl eligibility requirement shortened to one year. The Division I Council denied the appeal in April.

The Athletic's Chris Vannini and Nicole Auerbach wrote how the rule is intended to be both the cost of admission into the FBS and motivate schools to "spend that time making necessary investments for the jump."

You can't blame JMU for making a second attempt.

Due to their bowl status, the Dukes aren't listed in the College Football Playoff selection committee's weekly rankings. They are ranked 21st in the Associated Press Top 25, giving them the second-highest Group of Five ranking.

James Madison finishes up with UConn, Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina. Were it to run the table, a case could be made its the best Group of Five school, and having that distinction in the CFP rankings means a guaranteed New Year's Six bowl appearance.

That would carry a massive windfall for JMU and the Sun Belt as a whole in addition to the prestige the program would gain.

As successful as the Dukes were in the FCS—they won national titles in 2004 and 2016—and regardless of their quick adjustment to live in the FBS, there's no guarantee when they'll be in this position again.

Even if James Madison doesn't finish in what would be a New Year's Six position, any bowl game would be a nice reward for this year's squad.

Absent a turnaround from the NCAA, though, the school might have to watch bowl season unfold from afar.

James Madison University accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference, a move that'll be completed no later than July 1, 2023.

The Dukes are a member of the Colonial Athletic Association and field an FCS football program, which will transition to the FBS level in the Sun Belt.

JMU athletic director Jeff Bourne released a statement about the decision:

The Sun Belt Conference presents the right opportunity at the right time for James Madison Athletics. Our department has achieved at a tremendously high level over the last seven years and even further throughout our entire history. We have demonstrated an increased ability to succeed at the national level, and this move to the Sun Belt further enhances that to an even greater degree as we move forward. JMU is committed to providing the best student-athlete experience in the nation, and this move ensures that our focus resides on our student-athletes and balancing their competitive and off-the-field success.

James Madison's impending arrival increases the Sun Belt's projected size to 16 as part of the nationwide collegiate sports realignment jump-started by Oklahoma and Texas announcing their plans to leave the Big 12 for the SEC in July.

The Sun Belt's 12 current members—Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Arkansas Little Rock, Louisiana Lafayette, Louisiana Monroe, South Alabama, Texas State, Troy and UT Arlington—will be joined by JMU, Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Mississippi by 2023. In football, the conference will move from 10 to 14 teams. 

Sun Belt commissioner Keith Gill commented on the Dukes' arrival:

We are thrilled to welcome James Madison University to the Sun Belt Conference. This move brings another strong brand and passionate fanbase into the Sun Belt and elevates the Dukes' storied football program to the highest level of NCAA competition. I am grateful to JMU president Jonathan Alger and athletics director Jeff Bourne for their leadership during this process and look forward to working closely with them moving forward.

The CAA is a Division I conference in most sports, so it'll be a lateral transition for most of the men's and women's programs at James Madison, which is located in Virginia, and an elevation for the football program.

JMU football has reached the FCS National Championship Game in three of the past five years, highlighted by a national title in 2016.

The Dukes own a 7-1 record this season, and the announcement of their future move to the Sun Belt comes as part of homecoming weekend. They'll face Campbell at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

In all, James Madison is home to 18 varsity sports programs that will join the Sun Belt.

The James Madison Dukes advanced to the FCS National Championship Game on Saturday with an emphatic 51-16 win over the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in a semifinal contest at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia. 

Undefeated James Madison improved to 14-0 due in large part to the play of running back Marcus Marshall, who rushed for 203 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.

The Dukes also forced SDSU to commit a remarkable 10 turnovers, resulting in James Madison out-gaining the Jackrabbits 465-366.

Perhaps overshadowed in the win was the steady performance of JMU quarterback Bryan Schor, who threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for a score as well.

Conversely, SDSU quarterback Taryn Christion finished with 234 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions.

James Madison's win sets the stage for a highly anticipated FCS national title clash between the Dukes and 13-1 North Dakota State, which throttled Sam Houston State 55-13 on Friday.

South Dakota State was a mess in the first quarter, as each of its first five possessions ended in turnovers with three fumbles and two interceptions.

Sam Herder of Bison Illustrated wondered if the moment was too big for the Jackrabbits:

SDSU's second turnover of the game gave JMU an extremely short field, and the Dukes took advantage with a two-yard touchdown pass from Schor to Riley Stapleton to seize a 7-0 lead.

Though the Jackrabbits continued to turn the ball over early, James Madison couldn't capitalize.

After a punt and a lost fumble of its own, the Dukes forced their fifth turnover of the opening quarter with less than two minutes remaining when cornerback Jimmy Moreland reeled in his second interception of the game, as seen in this video courtesy of FCS Football:

With JMU failing to cash in on another turnover, though, South Dakota State managed to tie the game early in the second quarter when Christion threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Jake Wieneke.

That would prove to be the high point for the Jackrabbits, as James Madison's offense woke up and helped the Dukes take over the game from there.

JMU scored touchdowns on each of its next two possessions with Schor and Stapleton connecting from 15 yards out, and Schor completing a one-yard quarterback sneak.

The Dukes entered the locker room with a 21-10 advantage, and they opened the floodgates even more early in the second half.

Less than one minute into the third quarter, Marshall dashed 65 yards to paydirt to make the score 28-10:

He added another touchdown on JMU's next drive from even further out, as he scampered 87 yards for the score:

James Madison extended the lead to 45-10 late in the third quarter before the defense got in on the scoring act.

Raven Greene intercepted Christion for JMU's seventh forced turnover of the game, and he returned it 59 yards for a touchdown:

With the Dukes leading 51-10 at the conclusion of the third quarter, the game had already been decided. The only question remaining was how many more turnovers JMU could force.

That was answered with 7:18 left in the game when Moreland intercepted Christion for his third pick of the game and the Dukes' 10th turnover forced overall:

James Madison's dominant performance set the stage for a battle between the past two FCS champions in the title game.

The Dukes are the defending champions after beating Youngstown State in last season's championship game, while North Dakota State won the previous five titles.

A champion will be crowned on Jan. 7 when James Madison and NDSU clash at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.