How we got here: James Madison football's fight to make a bowl game in 2023

The 2023 college football season's provided plenty of intrigue for fans. A dynamic battle for the Heisman Trophy, the final inter-conference editions of the Red River and Bedlam rivalries, the Prime effect, and plenty of upsets across the country.

But one of the biggest stories of 2023's taken place off the field: James Madison University football's fight to make a bowl game.

Here's a look at the timeline of a fight that's years in the making.

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How did James Madison get here?

James Madison built its program in what is now the Football Conference Subdivision (FCS) starting in 1972. In 2004, the program won its first FCS title and hasn't had a losing season since.

Following the 2021 season in which the Dukes won their fifth Colonial Athletic Association Conference title in six years, the James Madison football program moved up to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The Dukes joined the Sun Belt Conference starting in the 2022 season.

James Madison's first season in the FBS was an unusual success story with an 8-3 record. Only two teams totaled at least eight wins in their first FBS season in the last 15 years: UTSA (2012) and Georgia Southern (2014).

The Dukes continued the hot start this fall with a 10-0 record through Week 11 of the 2023 season. But the team is not eligible for a bowl game.

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Why is James Madison not eligible for a bowl game?

NCAA bylaws restrict postseason play for programs that make the jump from the FCS to the FBS. In the first two seasons in the FBS, programs that moved up are not eligible to play in either a conference championship game or a bowl game.

NCAA committees stated this two-year bowl ban is in place to ensure teams that move to college football's top tier have a sustainable plan for staying at the top level. This includes adequate infrastructure, scholarship funding, and medical and mental health resources.

Following their 8-3 season last year, the university filed a waiver request in April to complete FBS reclassification a year early and be eligible for a bowl game. That request was denied.

What's the latest on James Madison's fight to make a bowl game?

As of this week, the Dukes are still not eligible for a bowl game. The university submitted another waiver request to the NCAA asking for special consideration regarding bowl eligibility. The second waiver request centered on the Dukes' continued success this fall, as they are one of just seven undefeated teams coming in to Week 12 of the college football season.

The NCAA denied James Madison's second waiver request on Wednesday. The Division I Board of Directors Administrative Committee said in statement that "if Division I members do not think the requirements are appropriate, those concerns should be addressed through rules changes rather than waiver requests.”

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares hired a law firm in the state to file a lawsuit on the school's behalf against the NCAA. In a three-page letter, the firm Hunton Andrews Kurth states they hope the NCAA will do the right thing and allow the Dukes to play in a bowl game that their 2023 performance deserves. If not, "JMU is prepared to promptly file a lawsuit in the Western District of Virginia asserting that the bowl ban violates the antitrust and, potentially, other laws," the letter read.

Hunton Andrews Kurth requested a response from the NCAA by noon on Friday, Nov. 17.

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Can James Madison still make a bowl game?

Regardless of how any legal action shakes out, the Dukes could still make a bowl game in 2023. The FBS has 41 bowl games, meaning 82 teams are needed to make the games this season. Bowl eligibility requires teams to be at least 0.500 and have six wins or more this season.

James Madison has already cleared both hurdles easily. If the FBS runs out of bowl-eligible teams, James Madison is in prime position to fill any slots. The NCAA said as much in its statement Wednesday.

Here's how the bowl eligibility picture looks ahead of Week 12:

• There are 58 teams that are already eligible for the 82 bowl slots.

• Mathematically, 36 teams can reach six wins by the end of the regular season.

• If all 36 teams win out, there would be 94 bowl-eligible teams in the FBS.

A clean sweep of those 36 teams winning out is unlikely. If the favorites in each matchup remaining in the FBS regular season win, only 19 more teams would reach bowl eligibility. That scenario leaves five spots open and could include the Dukes.

Last year, the 5-7 Rice Owls made the LendingTree Bowl because there weren't enough bowl-eligible teams in the regular season. A similar situation could play out for the Dukes this time around.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: James Madison football: A history of program's fight for a bowl game