The NCAA postseason waiver requests for James Madison, Jacksonville State and Tarleton State were rejected Wednesday, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
The NCAA Division I Board Administration Committee made the final decision, which echoed the conclusion of the three other committees that met on it.
James Madison (10-0, 6-0 Sun Belt), which is currently ranked No. 21 in the latest AP Top 25 poll, had appealed to the NCAA to reduce its transition from FCS to FBS to one year instead of two.
James Madison and Jacksonville State could still play in bowl games, if there are not enough .500 teams to fill 82 spots in 41 bowl games at the end of the regular season. The Dukes also aren’t eligible to play in the Sun Belt Conference championship game, despite being the only team that’s still unbeaten in league play.
If the Dukes were eligible to compete in a bowl this season, they might be the highest-ranked team from a Group of 5 conference in the CFP rankings and in contention to play in a New Year’s Six bowl game. Last week, the Dukes won their 13th consecutive game, beating Georgia State, and they’re among seven unbeaten teams in the FBS.
Jacksonville State, which plays in Conference USA, is 7-3 overall and third in the conference with a 5-1 mark.
Tarleton State plays in FCS and is 8-3 overall with a 4-2 mark in the United Athletic Conference.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach contributed to this report.