JMU crashes college football Top 25 rankings

Why it matters: Even if you aren't passionate college football fans like we are (fact check: we're not), you can appreciate the stories of little engines that could (we do love a good story).

• JMU now finds itself on the same list as powers such as Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and Alabama.

Yes, but: JMU, which for years was a formidable program in the sport's second-tier division (now called FCS, formerly Division I-AA), is in the final year of its transition to the top-tier (FBS, formerly Division I-A).

• That means, the Dukes won't even be eligible for the playoffs in the new classification this year, no matter how many wins they pile up.

The intrigue: The Dukes also tiptoed into the Top 25 in 2022, but lost the next week and never returned.

• Will they stay ranked longer than that this year? We'll find out after they play cross-state rival Old Dominion in a homecoming matchup in Harrisonburg on Saturday at 8pm. The game is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPNU.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to show that JMU's most recent victory was against Marshall, not Georgia Southern.