The James Madison Dukes are 8-0 heading into November, but they will not be part of the College Football Playoff discussion.
The Dukes are ineligible to compete in the postseason while making the transition from the FCS to FBS.
"Inclusion in the College Football Playoff rankings is based on NCAA postseason eligibility, not conference championship game participation," College Football Playoff senior director of communications and branding Brett Daniels told the Harrisonburg Daily News-Record on Oct. 23.
Why is James Madison ineligible for the postseason? Will it make a bowl game? What is the CFP and New Year's Day Six potentially missing by leaving the Dukes out? Answers to all of those questions:
What is James Madison football's record?
The Dukes are 8-0 this season with a 5-0 record in Sun Belt play. James Madison was ranked No. 25 in the AP Top 25 in Week 9 and bumped up to No. 23 in the Week 10. James Madison plays Georgia State on Saturday.
Why is James Madison ineligible for College Football Playoff?
The Dukes made the jump from the FCS to the FBS in 2022. The NCAA requires programs that move up to make a two-year transition when they move up in which they are ineligible for the postseason.
The intention of the rule is to help programs get acclimated to building a FBS program, but James Madison already was established under coach Curt Cignetti before moving up to the Sun Belt. The Dukes were 33-5 from 2019-21 as an FCS team, and they finished 8-3 with a 6-2 record in their first season as an FBS team in the Sun Belt in 2022. James Madison is not allowed to play in the Sun Belt championship game this season.
James Madison filed a request to shorten that transition before this season, but it was denied by the NCAA on April 26.
Why is James Madison ineligible for bowl games?
The NCAA two-year transition rule also prevents the Dukes from playing in a bowl game, but there is a possible loophole. FBS teams are required to win six games against other FBS schools to qualify for the postseason.
If there are not enough six-win teams to fill out the schedule, then James Madison could be among the teams that help fill out that slate along with teams that finished 5-7 in the regular season.
The Dukes, however, likely still would not be a candidate to qualify for the New Year's Day Six. According to the Daily News-Record: “(Sun Belt) sources believed a Dukes squad that achieved bowl eligibility by any means would then be under consideration for the New Year's Six bowl game, which is controlled by the College Football Playoff. But the CFP statement to the Daily News-Record ran counter to that.”
The Sun Belt has not had a team play in a New Year's Day Six Bowl. The Dukes are not the only Group of 5 school team that is unbeaten heading into Week 10. Air Force (8-0) from the Mountain West Conference and Liberty (8-0) from Conference-USA are also unbeaten.
Why are CFP rankings, bowl games missing by excluding James Madison?
James Madison's stats are not tracked by the NCAA this season. Jordan McCloud leads an offense that averages 32.1 points per game. McCloud has 2,036 passing yards with 18 TDs and six interceptions. He also has 210 rushing yards and four TDs.
Defensive end Jalen Green would lead the FBS in sacks with 15.5 if those stats were allowed by the NCAA. He had five sacks against Marshall on Oct. 19. Arizona State's Terrell Suggs set the single-season sack record with 24 in 2002. Green would have a chance to break that record.
The Dukes' remaining opponents are Georgia State (6-2), UConn (1-7), Appalachian State (4-4) and Coastal Carolina (5-3). At this point, James Madison’s season would end after the game against the Chanticleers.
