JMU again appeals to NCAA to reduce football transition period - ESPN

James Madison officials made another plea to the NCAA Division I board of directors Monday to reduce its football program's FCS to FBS transition from two years to one, so the undefeated Dukes can be eligible to compete in a postseason bowl game this season.

In a letter to NCAA Division I board of directors chairman Jere Moorhead, the University of Georgia president, JMU president Jonathan Alger and athletic director Jeff Bourne argued the Dukes have «embarked on this transition in ways that no other institution has since the transition rules changed 23 years ago» and that their «student-athletes have achieved an astonishing, unprecedented level of success during this period.»

«Relief that allows our student-athletes to participate in a bowl game, as their play has earned, is warranted,» the JMU officials wrote.

«Our student-athletes have done everything the right way, and they view the postseason prohibition in this instance as inexplicable punishment in light of the NCAA's stated priorities. As many commentators have noted, this is an opportunity for the NCAA to do the right thing for our student-athletes and recognize their exceptional efforts on and off the field.»

Under NCAA rules, teams making the transition from the FCS to FBS are ineligible for the postseason the first two years. On April 27, the NCAA denied the school's appeal to complete the two-year transition in only one year.

James Madison was the first school to appeal the two-year period.

The NCAA transformation committee established new FBS membership requirements that will go into effect Aug. 1, 2027. In the letter to Morehead, JMU officials wrote that «due to the diligence and planning of our institution, we are able to confirm that we are meeting the