We covered last week how frustrating it is that the NCAA continues to enforce its silly rules in regards to bowl eligibility for teams transitioning from FCS to FBS, but unfortunately our piece did not shame the organization into changing its rules.
It now goes a step further than that.
Shane Mettlen of the Harrisonburg (Va.) Daily News Record tweeted a statement Sunday from a College Football Playoff spokesperson confirming that James Madison will not be eligible for the Group of Five's berth in a New Year's Six bowl game.
JMU is 7-0 and ranked 25th in both polls following a 20-9 win at Marshall on Saturday. The Dukes are one of three Group of 5 teams ranked, trailing AP ranked No. 19 Air Force and No. 22 Tulane for supremacy among non-Power 5 teams.
But since the NCAA deems the Dukes ineligible for a bowl unless there is an insufficient number of 6-6 teams, they will not be eligible to reach a New Year's Six game, which reserves a spot for the highest-ranked Group of 5 team. This year, that would mean a spot in the Cotton, Fiesta or Peach bowl.
College Football Playoff spokesperson says JMU will not be considered for a New Years 6 bowl, regardless of Dukes' bowl status via a lack of otherwise eligible teams. This runs counter to what both JMU & SBC sources told me they believed was the case earlier this week. pic.twitter.com/6mOLWb0dkl
— Shane Mettlen (@Shane_DNRSports) October 22, 2023
Curt Cignetti's team is 15-3 overall since moving up to FBS in 2022, and 10-2 in Sun Belt play.
The Dukes are 4-0 in conference play with games against 3-1 Old Dominion and 3-1 Georgia State, both Sun Belt East bunk mates, in the next two weeks.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.