FRISCO, Texas – James Madison in 2011 increased Bridgeforth Stadium’s capacity from 15,000 to 24,877 while adding 16 suites and a 1,000-seat club level. That expansion complemented the $10-million Plecker Athletic Performance Center, an adjacent football-support facility that opened in 2005.
Such enhancement suggested that if the Dukes one day want to move from the FCS to the FBS, and an attractive league-affiliation offer is presented, they are prepared.
But they like the neighborhood in which they live.
JMU advanced to the last two FCS national championship games, winning in January of of 2017, and losing Saturday, 17-13 to North Dakota State. During the Dukes' stay in Frisco, Madison coach Mike Houston said only “the perfect opportunity” would draw JMU to the FBS. His position presumably weighs plenty, given the Dec. 12 announcement that he agreed to a 10-year contract extension that runs through 2027.
“I feel like our fan base has spoken very loudly and our administration has been very pleased with the amount of exposure and the amount of enthusiasm behind the playoff runs of the last two years,” said Houston.
The Department of Education provided annual football budgets for Division I schools, covering July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016, the last year for which this information is available. The figures listed are classified as “expenses,” and JMU ($8,998,446) is already in the ballpark with FBS member Old Dominion ($9,634,722) of Conference USA, though a long way from ACC members Virginia Tech ($31,150,129) and Virginia ($20,233,481).
In the CAA, the league to which JMU belongs, Richmond’s football budget was $6,794,504 and William & Mary’s was $6,507,909.
Liberty ($10,681,263) is shifting from the FCS to the FBS next season and will play as an independent, an unusual path JMU and any other FCS school is unlikely to follow. LU’s resources make it possible for the Flames to bring FBS opponents to Lynchburg in future years.
The gap between Power Five conferences and the remainder of the FBS continues to grow. JMU may be waiting for the day when Division I’s second tier is comprised of a blend: current lower-level FBS members and upper-level FCS schools. North Dakota State coach Chris Klieman mentioned that as a possibility for the Bison.
Jeff Bourne, the Dukes athletic director, has consistently said that the school would always consider options that it believes may be better for JMU and its sports. But he also consistently has added that JMU is pleased with the exposure associated with recent football achievement.
“You have a chance to play on a national stage, to be on national television (ESPN2) in the championship game against the second-ranked team in the country,” Houston said of Saturday’s meeting with North Dakota State. “The spotlight JMU (captured) right there, that’s something that you can’t buy in marketing dollars.
“I just think that’s just not only great exposure for our football program, for recruiting or whatever else, but it’s also great exposure for our institution. I know that we saw a drastic increase in the number of applications after last year’s championship run, and I would anticipate you’d see the same thing this year. It’s good for everybody.”
A portion of Madison’s passionate fan base for years has advocated a move to the FBS. However, Houston believes that school supporters in general appreciate JMU's status as an elite FCS program.
If a non-Power Five FBS league invited Madison to join and JMU accepted, any football postseason bid Madison earned would almost certainly involve a mid-December bowl game.
“You look at what some of the smaller bowl games, what that looks like, and I just think our alumni and fan base, they prefer this right here, right now,” Houston said, speaking of the FCS playoffs. “No disrespect to any other level or anything else, but I think this is pretty special, what we have going on.”
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