Image courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications
By Bennett Conlin
JMU football cannot play in the New Year’s Six Bowl this season, a College Football Playoff spokesperson said. JMU sports news on Sunday.
“Inclusion in the College Football Playoff rankings is based on NCAA playoff eligibility,” Brett Daniels, College Football Playoff senior director of communications and branding, said in a communicated. “As part of the transition from FCS to FBS, NCAA bylaws require programs to wait two years before being eligible for the playoffs. For this reason, James Madison will not be considered for CFP rankings this season or for a berth in a New Year’s Six bowl game.”
As a result, it’s probably time for JMU fans to *cue Nick Saban voice* to stop demanding the Sun Belt make the Dukes eligible for the league title game this season.
JMU’s ineligibility for the NY6 means there is no reason for the Sun Belt to make JMU eligible for its title game, which it has the authority to do. There’s no potential financial benefit — making a New Year’s Six Bowl earns a conference $4 million to split among its members — in letting JMU play in the conference title game, because it can’t then play in the NY6.
The Sun Belt needs to do what’s best for the entire conference, and in this case, it will benefit the league to have a champion with guaranteed playoff access.
NCAA rules allow transitioning teams in their second transitional season to participate in a bowl game if an insufficient number of teams qualify – teams qualify for bowls by hitting .500 or better – for the 82 open bowl locations. JMU can still host a bowl game, if there are vacancies. This bowl game just won’t be a New Year’s game.
Six New Year’s Ineligibility
The topic of NY6 eligibility came up in recent weeks as the Dukes remained undefeated. Fans began to speculate about the following hypothetical: “If JMU football goes 12-0, could the Sun Belt allow the Dukes to play in the league championship game?” »
The logic behind the question was that the Sun Belt wouldn’t want to give up a potential $4 million payday in an NY6 appearance, and the Dukes (7-0, 4-0 SBC) are clearly the Sun team Belt currently the best placed. playing in the New Year’s Six Bowl.
But it’s important to note that the Group of Five’s automatic spot in an NY6 game goes to Top-ranked Group of Five conference champion.
Not only would JMU have to win the Sun Belt title game to have a chance at a NY6 bowl, but it would also have to be seeded higher than every other Group of Five conference champion to get a nod. NY6 head. These rankings should come from the College Football Playoff committee, not AP Poll voters.
This raised a very important but unanswered question: JMU, which is ineligible for the postseason due to NCAA transition rules (with the caveat that it can host a bowl game if not enough 6 to 6 teams qualify for bowls), is it even allowed to be seeded by the College Football Playoff committee?
Daniels’ response ultimately tells us that NO, a team ineligible for the playoffs cannot be ranked by the CFP committee. As a result, the Dukes are out of luck when it comes to finding a potential loophole to make the Sun Belt title game and New Year’s Six Bowl in the second year of their FBS transition.
Can JMU create a bowl game?
As mentioned previously, yes!
JMU already has seven wins this season, which makes the Dukes “bowl eligible” IF not enough other teams qualify for the 82 open bowl game slots. At this point, JMU’s bowl fate is mostly in the hands of other programs.
While the Dukes aren’t guaranteed a bowl game, it’s possible. This could lead to a fun December matchup for JMU.
An interesting quirk in the Dukes Bowl hopes is that JMU will face several teams (4-3 Old Dominion, 3-4 Appalachian State and 4-3 Coastal Carolina) the rest of the season on the fringes of bowl eligibility. JMU taking care of business down the stretch could theoretically be the difference between a few teams making a bowl or missing a bowl, essentially giving JMU a clearer path to a bowl game.
JMU will be eligible for the Sun Belt Championship and bowl games without restrictions for the 2024 season and beyond. The College Football Playoff is also expected to expand to 12 teams in 2024, with the Group of Five expected to have automatic access to all 12 teams.
Everyone breathes
The only path forward for JMU to host a New Year’s Six Bowl is if the NCAA reverses course on its waiver decision and decides to make the Dukes eligible for the postseason in 2023.
That’s not happening, even after Virginia’s attorney general asked the NCAA to reconsider its waiver decision in recent weeks.
As JMU fans, it’s probably time to put an end to the bowl game talk. The Dukes could still make a bowl game, but there’s no point yelling at the NCAA or asking high-ranking politicians to sue the NCAA for the Dukes’ immediate bowl eligibility.
Fans should make sure they see the forest from the trees. It’s ridiculous that the NCAA didn’t approve JMU’s waiver given that the program is FBS-ready, and it stinks that JMU’s seniors won’t get a chance to play in a New Year’s game, but the Dukes have benefited immensely from the FBS movement.
They are in the AP Top 25 for the second consecutive season. This does not happen at the FCS level.
The Dukes face increased competition, as they beat UVA earlier this year and the SBC East is a Group of Five challenge. UVA wouldn’t have even scheduled JMU if the Dukes were still an FCS team – there’s a reason teams have gone 40 years without playing.
JMU also plays most of its games on national television platforms, a huge reward for the quality of play this season. The Dukes receive notable media coverage from national media outlets and even increased coverage from regional media outlets like the Richmond Times-Dispatch. It’s great for the players, as well as the fans.
The benefits of this move are considerable.
It is disappointing for the players and coaches to lose a potential opportunity for NY6, but the FBS decision was 99% perfect. Instead of complaining about NCAA rules that could cost JMU 1-2 games later this season, fans should focus on what is shaping up to be a historic great JMU team.
No JMU Division I team has ever completed a season undefeated. Accomplishing this feat counts, even without guaranteed playoff play.
And make no mistake, fans can root however they want. If you want to tweet angrily at the NCAA for the rest of the season, I can’t stop you.
For my part, however, once the NY6 loophole is closed, I will focus on the positives from the last five weeks of the season. I’ll focus on the potential thrill of beating an in-state rival on Saturday, followed by a huge divisional showdown with Georgia State the following week.
JMU ends the year with UConn, App State and Coastal Carolina. This three-game stretch is arguably more intriguing than any FCS playoff series in recent memory.
There is a cost to moving from FCS to FBS. I don’t understand why the Dukes weren’t given a waiver to make the playoffs this year, but any temporary costs associated with the transition will be worth it in the long run.
