Then in 2022, JMU climbed to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Group of 5 conference level — still looking up at the power-conference penthouse, but at least in the building — and thrived.

The Sun Belt Conference publicly reprimanded James Madison’s football program Monday for the Dukes’ use of communication equipment in the bench area during Saturday’s victory at Utah State.

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.

What they might as well say is “FBS” because James Madison is now rubbing elbows with college football’s most successful programs, bringing both unbridled optimism and unabashedly brash goals.

The board decision affirmed a denial by the Division I Council. The denial means JMU football will not be directly eligible for a bowl game in 2023 and likely not for the Sun Belt championship ...