Mustangs Want Major Bowl Status Decided on Field, May Be Determined in Courts Instead

Efforts by Virginia attorney general could derail SMU's magical football season

DALLAS – The path seemed pretty simple. Take down Memphis on Saturday, avoid a letdown against Navy next week and prove themselves against either Tulane or UTSA in the AAC championship game. That's the formula that has been bouncing around the SMU athletic offices for weeks now.

Unfortunately, the Mustangs have been doing simple addition and James Madison is bent on turning this into algebra with an unexpected X-factor added to the end. What once required merely scoreboard watching will now involve keeping at least one eye on the court system. 

James Madison, a team that currently isn't eligible to qualify for a major bowl because of rules that requires teams to spend two years without going to a bowl before being considered essentially vested at that level. The rule is in place so teams have contributed in a financial way before being able to take money away from another football program that would otherwise receive the bowl bid. Teams must also use this time to complete compliance reviews and participate in orientation sessions while they adjust to new rules and financial commitments.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares reached out the NCAA this past spring in hopes of convincing the organization to grant a waiver. However, this effort was initially shut down by NCAA president Charlie Baker.

"The current two-year transition period was intended to provide adequate time for schools to demonstrate they have met the necessary requirements to become an FBS member and adjust to the increased requirements for student-athlete support in addition to FBS competition," Baker responded. "This timeline is intentional and membership-driven and applies to all schools that transition from [FCS] to [FBS]."

The Dukes are 10-0 and currently ranked No. 18 in the AP poll. Their lone win over a Power Five opponent is a 36-35 win over 2-8 Virginia. Miyares now looks to fight the NCAA in court. If he is successful, it may kill the Mustangs' chance of earning the New Years' Day Six bowl bid guaranteed to the highest ranked Group of Five program. 

"[The NCAA] demonstrates that they, once again, ignore the best interests of our nation's student-athletes," Miyares' said in a statement reported by ESPN. "The NCAA has made an arbitrary and capricious decision that has an anti-competitive and profoundly negative impact on student-athletes, JMU, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and collegiate football as a whole."

It may all not matter if this impending lawsuit is successful in the end. Much like SMU, James Madison's toughest part of the schedule will come in the final few weeks. The Dukes must win out against perennial Sun Belt powers Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina to keep its case for inclusion in the College Football Playoff rankings going. If successful, they then turn around and face Troy, the presumed West Division winner, in the conference championship game. James Madison barely held off the Trojans, 16-14, when they faced each other back in mid-September.

Still, as SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee has said many times, he wants his players focused on the next game. If the Mustangs can't find a way to stop a tough Memphis team on the road Saturday morning, there won't even be an AAC championship game, much less a major bowl game.

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