Here’s why unbeaten James Madison won’t appear in CFP rankings

The College Football Playoff rankings will be launched for the veryfirst time this season on Tuesday night and there is one unbeaten group ensured to be left out of the choice committee’s top 25.

James Madison (8-0), ranked No. 23 in the AP Top 25 is disqualified for postseason play as it finishes an NCAA-required shift duration to the greatest level of Division I football, the Bowl Subdivision. Since the CFP rankings are entirely to figureout postseason projects for 2 playoff videogames and 4 marquee bowls, the Dukes are disqualified to be ranked.

James Madison authorities are still hoping the NCAA will supply a waiver to enable the Dukes to play in the postseason, however they are not especially positive. JMU’s most mostlikely roadway to a bowl will be as a replacement in a lower-level postseason videogame if there are not enough groups that satisfy the common eligibility requirement of 6 wins and a .500 record.

Still, the Dukes are excellent adequate to at least be in the discussion for a larger reward — a location in the New Year’s Six Bowls that is scheduled for the CFP’s highest-ranked champ from a so-called Group of 5 conference at the end of the routine season. That area will be in the Fiesta Bowl this season and comes with a $4 million payment to the conference of the group that makes it.

As it stands, the Dukes won’t even be goneover by the committee.

The obstacle is not the CFP however an NCAA guideline intended at makingsure schools are allset — on the field and off — to relocation up to a greater level of competitors and stay there.

“We anticipated this,” James Madison athletic director Jeff Bourne stated of the Dukes being disqualified for the postseason. “The distinction for me is JMU is in such a distinct circumstance and such an anomaly compared to other organizations who haveactually gone through this formerly.”

The Dukes are in their 2nd season contending in Division I’s Bowl Subdivision and the Sun Belt Conference after the school in Harrisonburg, Virginia, was a seasonal playoff group for years in the Football Championship Subdivision (FBS).

The Dukes’ shift might not haveactually gone much muchbetter on the field. They went 8-3 last year and are sitting atop the Sun Belt East Division with 4 videogames left. But simply like last year, they are disqualified to play in the conference champion videogame.

“We’re helpful of JMU and their mission to endedupbeing qualified for the postseason for this season,” Commissioner Keith Gill stated. “It’s in the Sun Belt, and all of our members’ finest interests, to have all of our members eligible for whatever.”

James Madison competes its group hasactually gone through the shift procedure inadifferentway than others. JMU has played a complete Sun Belt conference schedule each of the last 2 seasons, with 10 videogames versus FBS competitors last year and 11 this season.

The Dukes’ initially season in FBS was distinct. They beat 7 FBS challengers. No other school that hasactually transitioned from FCS giventhat 2000 had more than 4 FBS triumphes in Year 1.

A complete slate of FBS challengers hasactually endedupbeing the standard for transitioning groups by Year 2. What separates the Dukes is the level of success and the level of competitors.

Since 2000, just 2 groups have won as numerous as 8 videogames in their 2nd season in FBS. Georgia Southern went 9-3 in 2014 in the Sun Belt, which utilized to be concerned as the weakest amongst FBS leagues. These days, the Sun Belt can make a case for being the finest amongst the Group of 5, similar to the American Athletic and Mountain West.

The NCAA’s guideline is in location in part to avoid schools from moving up for short-term gains, possibly to take benefit of a especially talented group. It has not been inclined to make exceptions for quality.

Bellarmine, a little personal school in Louisville, Kentucky, was shut out of the NCAA males’s basketball competition in 2022 after it won the Atlantic Sun Conference amidst its four-year shift from Division II to D-I. The A-Sun pressed tough to both modification the guideline and get Bellarmine a waiver, to no get. Bellarmine might not even contend in the NIT, which is owned by the NCAA.

James Madison’s push for postseason eligibility likewise comes on the heels of the NCAA Division I Transformation Committee’s effort to re-establish what is anticipated from schools that desire to contend at the greatest levels. It’s not simply about wins and losses. Are schools able and prepared to invest in chances and scholastic, mental-health and other assistance for professionalathletes?

James Madison authorities state they have those covered, too. JMU’s athletic spendingplan from 2022 was almost $58 million, competitive with the mostaffluent Group of 5 schools.

“We prepared for a years (to relocation up)” stated Kevin Warner, James Madison’s partner athletic director for interactions. “We were at the scholarship number in Year 1, practically. We have the assistance personnel. We have the scholastic folks, the fitnessinstructors and health folks.”

In another current relocation, the NCAA Division I Council advised FBS schools be needed to fund $6 million in athletic scholarships and raising the charge to relocation up from FCS from $5,000 to $5 million.

Bourne stated he doesn’t desire JMU’s fans to provide up hope, however he is sensible. The school can keep appealing, however it is doing so to the exactsame NCAA committees that have currently turned it down.

We simply wear’t have anyperson prepared to make an exception,” he stated. “That’s what it boils down to.”

No matter how remarkable Dukes may be. 

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