The James Madison University (JMU) Dukes will play in their first bowl game this year. Image: jmusports.com

James Madison University’s (JMU) football program has been on an upward trend since joining the Sunbelt Conference in 2022. The Dukes went 11-1 in the 2023 season and have gone a combined 19-4 since joining the FBS. JMU has impressed in their time in FBS play as teams making the jump from the FCS to join the FBS usually struggle to get wins in their first couple of seasons. 

The 2023 season was a wild one for the Dukes. The highlight of the season was the record 11 wins, however, that’s only part of this season’s story. The second half of the Dukes season was filled with controversy over JMU’s bowl eligibility status. The NCAA has a rule that schools within their first two years since joining the FBS from the FCS can’t compete in postseason football. That includes bowl games and conference championships, both of which the Dukes would have been eligible for in 2023. This rule was put into place to make a teams transition into the FBS easier, however, the Dukes showed they were ready for the highest tier of division 1 football. Everyone was behind JMU’s push for bowl eligibility; both JMU and the Commonwealth of Virginia threatened to sue the NCAA over the rule to exclude JMU from postseason competition. 

Although the NCAA ruled against JMU’s bowl eligibility, a little known rule allowed JMU to compete in a bowl game. The NCAA has a rule that if not enough teams become bowl eligible, teams who would otherwise be bowl eligible and are currently in their transition period will be allowed to compete in a bowl game. This rule allowed James Madison and Jacksonville State to be considered for a bowl game. “I think it’s awesome and well deserved.

On December 3rd, it was announced that 24th ranked JMU will play Air Force in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on December 23rd at 3:30 pm in Fort Worth, Texas. Both JMU and Air Force had better than expected seasons in 2023. James Madison peaked at #16 in the country before their loss to Appalachian State while Air Force made it up to #19 in the country during mid-October. Although the two teams have had relatively similar seasons, they are both coming into the game with very different perspectives. Air Force is competing in its 30th all-time bowl and making its seventh appearance in the Armed Forces Bowl while James Madison is making its first ever bowl game appearance in school history.

Much of the Dukes’ success can be credited to head coach Curt Cignetti, who has had the team on an upward trend since his hiring in 2019. However, the future for the Dukes football program may be in question. It was announced recently that Cignetti would leave JMU to coach the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big 10. “”This was a really difficult decision and I really wrestled with it hard,” Cignetti said. “These were the best five years of my professional life. We accomplished a lot every year but particularly the last two and this season was so special.”” Cignetti said via JMU Athletics. 

With Cignetti heading to Indiana next year, JMU hired Holy Cross head coach Bob Chesney to take his place. Chesney has been one of the top FCS coaches in recent years, leading Holy Cross to four straight Patriot League championships from 2019-2022 and four FCS playoff bids in six years. He also won the Patriot League Coach of the Year three times while at Holy Cross. Chesney fit the bill of what JMU wanted in head coach, a proven winner with head coaching experience. “I’m super excited about the new coach coming from Holy Cross,” Assistant Principal Mrs. Susan Britton, a JMU alumni, said.

Making a bowl game in only their second year in the FBS is a big achievement for the Dukes. JMU fans should be excited about the future of the school’s football program. Other JMU sports are also showing similar levels of performance. James Madison’s men’s basketball team is currently ranked 18th in the nation with an undefeated record while their women’s basketball team is coming off a season in which they made the March Madness tournament. James Madison’s rapid success so quickly after joining a Division 1 conference is something that hasn’t been seen since Marshall joined the MAC in 1996. It’s a good time to be a JMU fan, the Dukes rapid success is what’s pushing them to the forefront of sports headlines and is asserting themselves as one of the top athletic schools in Virginia.