Nobody has handled this transition from FCS to FBS quite like James Madison, a Sun Belt school in Harrisonburg, Virginia. However, they’re being punished by an archaic rule for their success.
Since 1985, 52 college football programs have made the transition from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). In 2000, rules were put in place to restrict teams moving up to the FBS from playing in a conference championship game or bowl game for the first two years.
James Madison University moved to the Sun Belt Conference in 2022 along with Old Dominion, Marshall, and Southern Miss. JMU is different than the other three in the fact that they were the only school in that group to come from the FCS.
This isn’t the first time that the Sun Belt has brought FCS schools in, as they most recently added App State and Georgia Southern to the SBC in 2013. In their first year inside the conference, both the Mountaineers and the Eagles won at least six games but were unable to participate in the postseason due to the transition.
Both schools were eligible to win the conference championship in their first year and App State played in a bowl game in their second year.
In 2022, James Madison went 8-3 in the regular season and didn’t participate in the postseason due to the NCAA rules. Now, in 2023, JMU is 9-0 and ranked in the Top 25, but will only play in a bowl game IF there aren’t enough 6-win teams.
JMU has handled the FCS to FBS transition better than anyone and they should not be held out of conference title games and bowl games because of an outdated rule. It’s bad for business.
They’ve earned the right
Most schools that are transitioning from FCS to FBS play a hybrid schedule consisting mostly of FCS games with a couple of FBS matchups sprinkled in. However, JMU decided to play a full slate of FBS competition. Since joining the Sun Belt, the Dukes are 17-3 while playing a total of two FCS opponents in that span. They’ve played at the highest level, earning a Power 5 win earlier this season when they took down Virginia, an ACC school and an in-state institution.
Say what you will about Virginia not being a good football team, but a Power 5 win is a Power 5 win. Accomplishing that in your second season of FBS play is more than enough proof that they’re ready for the postseason.
Also, another big reason to let them in is because it’s what’s best for everyone. Now let me be clear, the Sun Belt Conference is the entity not allowing JMU to play in the conference championship. The NCAA only said they can’t play in a bowl or the College Football Playoff for two years. It was the conference that shut down the title game. But what I think the SBC is failing to see is how it is good for their 9-0 and nationally ranked team to play in their conference championship game. Having the Dukes involved could raise TV ratings, attendance figures, revenue, and more. Plus it’s what the majority of fans want to see.
“Sun Belt fans deserve to see the best teams in the championship game,” Noah Frary, host of the Frary & Smith Podcast, said. James Madison has proven that they are one of them. It’s time to do right by the student-athletes that have poured in so much effort this season.”
Dukes are dominating the Belt
Currently, James Madison is 9-0 with a 6-0 record in the conference. In those six wins, they have an average margin of victory at 13.3 points. So, they’re beating their conference mates by an average of two touchdowns. Also, they haven’t played at the bottom of the conference. They have posted wins over Troy and South Alabama in the West as well as Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Marshall, and Old Dominion in the East. Their final two conference games are against App State and Coastal Carolina, which are two matchups that the Dukes will likely be favored in.
Overall Thoughts
Should JMU be allowed to play in the Sun Belt Championship Game? Yes.
Will the Sun Belt Conference let them in if the NCAA doesn’t grant a waiver? Probably not. But the big takeaway from all of this is that James Madison has done this FCS to FBS transition better than anyone.
“James Madison is the exception to the rule,” Frary said. “They’ve architected arguably the greatest FCS-to-FBS transition in the history of college football. We’re in the midst of an unprecedented time in the history of college football and JMU’s unprecedented run deserves an unprecedented response.”
Although I agree that JMU is the exception to the rule, I don’t have confidence in the NCAA to grant them this waiver because the NCAA has failed to do the right thing for a long time now. They have absolutely botched NIL, the transfer portal is a nightmare, and they’ve also failed to say anything of relevance when it comes to the investigation at Michigan. So there’s no reason to believe that they would get it right with the Dukes, but one could dream.
Let JMU play. The players, coaches, fans, and the entire nation deserve it.
Matt Miguez is the host of the Miguez Mindset Podcast on ESPN Southwest Louisiana’s YouTube channel. He is also a digital reporter for ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.