James Madison Bowl Eligibility
By Connor Blakely (524 words)
The James Madison University football team is making a statement in their first year in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, or FBS, and there have been a lot of talks surrounding their bowl eligibility despite their success.
James Madison and the NCAA have been in a back-and-forth battle over the possibility of the university competing in a bowl game. Since joining the FBS, the Dukes have had an unexpectedly hot start in their first two seasons.
James Madison finished the 2022-2023 season with an 8-3 record, which would have landed them a spot in a bowl game. This year, they started off the season 10-0 until they dropped their first loss to the Appalachian State Mountaineers in overtime at home.
The Dukes have finished the 2023 season with an 11-1 record, which, if bowl-eligible, would put them in a New Year’s Six bowl game.
The 11-1 season has put James Madison at No. 24 in the AP Top 25 college football poll and at No. 25 in the AFCA Coaches Poll. However, they do not qualify for the College Football Playoff Rankings that determine whether they make a bowl game.
NCAA regulations that are in place for reclassifying teams require them to sit out two years after reclassification. While sitting out for bowl games, transition teams are required to partake in orientation sessions to review the rules and stipulations of bowl games.
James Madison sent an appeal to the NCAA for a waiver to reduce their bowl eligibility to one year instead of two years. The NCAA declined the request, making James Madison ineligible for a bowl game.
“It’s unfortunate for the program going through all the hard work and traveling throughout the season not to be recognized for their success,” said Cal Breitbart, a management information systems, or MIS, major. “There’s still a chance for them to compete in a bowl game, but a team that rose to the scene as quickly as they did, I feel like they should be able to play in a bowl game.”
Despite the denial of their appeal, they will actually play in a bowl game this season. Both James Madison and Jacksonville State University are being granted a spot for a bowl game due to there not being enough six-win teams for each game.
“College football fans are probably more excited to see a new team, like James Madison, playing in a bowl game. Not every year a new team comes into one of their first two seasons as dominant as they have been,” said Gavin Culbertson, a sophomore accounting major. “I would say they are better than the majority of the six to seven-win schools that are bowl-eligible right now.”
The football program is looking in the right direction with their 19-4 record within their first two seasons in the FBS.
James Madison being bowl-eligible for the 2023 season is an even more significant step that will bring much attention to the program. News like this will open up more opportunities for recruitment, NIL and more money to the school and its football program.
