James Madison is bowl-bound after getting help from other FBS programs

James Madison’s football team got the help it needed this weekend, and the Dukes are set to go bowling.

Denied a traditional avenue to postseason eligibility because it is in the second year of a transition from the Football Championship Subdivision to the top-tier Football Bowl Subdivision, JMU saw its bowl hopes take a more circuitous path. The Dukes (11-1) had to wait until the final weekend of college football’s regular season to benefit from the fact that not enough other FBS programs reached six wins.

That’s the usual threshold for bowl eligibility, as it ensures a record of .500 or better over the typical 12-game season. Going into Saturday, 18 teams had a chance to get their sixth win, but only 10 accomplished the feat.

That left the FBS with 79 schools automatically eligible for a 41-game bowl slate that demands 82 participants. The shortfall activated a clause in NCAA bylaws that allows transitioning programs to become eligible for the postseason in such a scenario.

A spokesman for James Madison said Sunday the program was contacted that morning by Bowl Season, a collective association of all bowl games, which told the Dukes they were bowl-bound. That happy news came a day after JMU ended its regular season in style with a 56-14 thumping of Sun Belt foe Coastal Carolina that earned the Dukes a national ranking of 24th in the latest Associated Press poll .

Before the dominoes fell as needed, JMU and Virginia state officials had lobbied for the NCAA to grant the Dukes a postseason waiver. After an NCAA Division I committee denied the school’s latest petition earlier this month, JMU dropped its pursuit of legal action in consultation, it said, with Virginia Attorney General Jason S. Miyares (R). The denial cost the Dukes a chance to play in the Sun Belt championship game, which will instead be contested this Saturday between Troy and Appalachian State.

Another program transitioning to the FBS level, Jacksonville State (8-4) of Conference USA, can also now be invited to a bowl. The Gamecocks shared video of Coach Rich Rodriguez sharing the news with his team Saturday evening during a flight home from a loss at New Mexico State.

With one more bowl slot available, Minnesota could be positioned for the postseason despite a 5-7 record. Another NCAA bylaw regarding a shortfall of six-win teams puts the Golden Gophers at the head of the five-win line because of their top score in Academic Progress Rate for the 2021-22 season (via the AP ).

“We’ll always accept a bowl bid — always,” Gophers Coach P.J. Fleck said after a loss Saturday to Wisconsin. “There’s so many beneficial things to a bowl game, with practices, with development. To be honest, we might be our best football team in a month if we get everybody back.”

At 5-6 following a loss Saturday to SMU, Navy could reach six wins with a win over Army on Dec. 9. However, that game will take place after the bowl matchups have been announced, and a spokesman for the Midshipmen said Sunday via email that they did not anticipate playing in a bowl this season.