The 2022-2023 academic year was James Madison's first as a member of the Sun Belt Conference and first year of "reclassifying" status as the athletics program transitions from FCS to FBS. The institution submitted a waiver requesting to complete the two-year reclassification in one year. While the university has not received formal notification from the NCAA, we are aware of credible media reports indicating that our waiver request will be denied. The following frequently asked questions are intended to mainstream information for many individuals and entities who have inquired about the waiver request.
Frequently Asked Questions – JMU's NCAA Reclassification Waiver
What are the rules about a school transitioning to a new level of competition?
NCAA legislation requires that all institutions reclassifying from one competitive level to another must complete a transition period during which they are ineligible for postseason competition in impacted sports. For a move from FCS to FBS football, this equates to a two-year period of bowl ineligibility but does not impact other sports. In turn, the Sun Belt currently does not allow a team ineligible for a bowl to compete for its conference championship.
Why did JMU apply for a transition waiver?
JMU fully believes that it has met all FBS membership requirements at the end of year one and that the two-year transition is not needed to enhance its athletic department to meet membership requirements. JMU strategically planned for a move to FBS football for nearly a decade, placing it uniquely prepared to succeed immediately. This was demonstrated with an 8-3 football record in year one, while facing a full FBS conference schedule much more difficult than most institutions typically face in their first year. Further, the NCAA carefully considers all aspects of internal support to ensure that an institution is well-equipped to operate as a full-fledged FBS department long into the future. JMU unequivocally believes that it has checked every box to succeed as an FBS institution, and indeed successfully made this case to a Virginia legislative committee before joining the Sun Belt. There are no further steps to be achieved in a second year.
What sports are impacted?
Competitively, the waiver request only impacts football, with the program currently ineligible for a bowl game or Sun Belt Championship game appearance during its second year of reclassification. The only other impact to other sports is lost revenue for the department due to JMU not being included in conference football revenue distributions.
Are there other ways that the department is impacted?
As referenced above, while JMU is ineligible for postseason, it forfeits portions of the Sun Belt's revenue distribution from the College Football Playoff and media rights agreement. This figure is anticipated to be over $2 million for 2023-2024. Without that revenue, the department might need to halt certain desired expenditures or delay projects.
What precedence exists for teams seeking a waiver?
No school has previously petitioned the NCAA to reduce the two-year waiver for FBS reclassification. Few schools have previously been granted relief to reduce the reclassification timeline at other levels since current rules were established. Recently, multiple institutions have jumped from Division II to Division I, which requires a four-year transition with ineligibility in all sports. All waiver requests by those schools have been denied. St. Thomas (Minn.) was granted a waiver in 2020 to climb from Division III directly to Division I, bypassing what had previously required a 12-year process with a stop in Division II.
Ultimately, JMU does not view such cases of schools entering Division I as comparable to its own instance of FCS to FBS. Many previous waiver attempts were based solely on competitive opportunity (i.e. men's basketball team winning its new Division I conference) whereas JMU's case is based upon proof of having met all criteria for operation as an FBS department.
Who reviewed the waiver request?
Multiple committees are involved in reviewing JMU's request, most notably the Division I Strategic Vision and Planning Committee, Football Oversight Committee and the Division I Council, which are each comprised of representatives of NCAA member institutions. JMU's request was ultimately reviewed by the NCAA Division I Board of Directors.
All transitioning institutions are assigned national office staff members from Academic and Membership Affairs to assist in all aspects of the transition. Ultimately, NCAA staff do not review the waiver, they answer questions and assist institutions with meeting requirements.
How does the NCAA's transformation process impact this consideration?
The NCAA appointed its Transformation Committee in January of 2022 to identify opportunities to modernize collegiate athletics and to recommend forward-looking changes for consideration by the NCAA. While much remains unknown of the direction of this long-term work, it ultimately carries little impact on JMU's pursuit of a waiver as JMU's request is being considered according to the current rules and regulations.
With the waiver request denied, are there any other options available for JMU to pursue?
There are additional opportunities for relief of bowl ineligibility according to the NCAA bylaws. Most notably and most likely, if there are insufficient teams to fill bowl game slots, bylaws allow teams in their second year of transition that meet bowl eligibility criteria to be considered. In 2022, there were insufficient teams so JMU would have been eligible for such relief. However, JMU would still be ineligible for the Sun Belt Championship, unless the Sun Belt Conference were to adjust its current bylaws.
