HARRISONBURG, Va. (WRIC) — After going 11-1 in its second season as part of the Sun Belt Conference, the James Madison University Dukes (JMU) Dukes football team is set to play in its first Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) bowl game ever.
Despite playing exceptionally well all year, going undefeated until their penultimate scheduled matchup, and finishing the regular season at the top of the Sun Belt’s rankings, the Dukes were not always destined to appear in a bowl game.
JMU joined the Sun Belt Conference, and thus the FBS, just over a year and a half ago, meaning its football team was subject to a rule barring teams from postseason play during its first two seasons as part of college football’s highest level of competition.
JMU requested waivers that would have allowed its football team to play in a bowl game, but was denied by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) twice.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Louise Lucas, the Virginia Senate’s President pro tempore, both publicly called for legal action in response to the NCAA’s decision. This was unnecessary in the end, as not enough FBS teams qualified for bowl games, meaning a spot was available for the Dukes.
The Dukes are playing against Air Force in the 2023 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, which kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 23. The game will be nationally televised on ABC. It will be the team’s first game with new head coach Bob Chesney.
