The No. 12 James Madison Dukes are preparing for their College Football Playoff debut when they travel to Eugene on Saturday. The Dukes will face a tough test when they play the No. 5 Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium in the first round.
JMU squeezed into the playoff courtesy of an incredible 12-1 record that culminated in a Sun Belt Conference championship win. The Dukes earned a place in the 12-team field as a Group of Five champion after the unranked 7-5 Duke Blue Devils won the ACC championship.
Pat McAfee Contradicts Nick Saban’s James Madison Rant
During Thursday’s segment of the “Pat McAfee Show,” former Alabama coach Nick Saban ranted about whether teams like the Dukes deserved to be included in the 12-team playoff field over elite programs like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
During ESPN’s “College GameDay” show from College Station, analyst Pat McAfee contradicted his co-host Saban’s rant against Group of Five teams like the Dukes being included in the College Football Playoff field.
I think there’s A LOT to motivate Tulane and JMU..
These teams could be talked about FOREVER if they pull off a MASSIVE upset..
Lanning and Golden are gonna have their teams READY TO GO #CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/gX6UZRjejE
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 20, 2025
“There’s two teams that are playing in this College Football Playoff that are certainly, potentially, going to be the ones who change the future of the College Football Playoff,” McAfee said. “Obviously, whenever the rule was made for the top five conference champions to make it into the College Football Playoff, the 12-team.
“Nobody would have expected two G5 champions to be in the field. We are incredibly happy for them and their story. It’s not their fault, but if these games are to get ugly, I think it’ll cause change for the future. If they were able to have a Cinderella story that leads into an offseason, saying ‘Anybody could win,’ that changes college football forever.”
Alongside James Madison, the No. 11 Tulane Green Wave were the second Group of Five champions included in the 12-team field this season. The Green Wave will travel to Oxford to face off against the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels, where they are also considered two-touchdown underdogs.
Last season’s Group of Five representatives, the Boise State Broncos, were beaten 31-14 by the Penn State Nittany Lions in the quarterfinals of the playoff, igniting discourse about whether such programs added value to the playoff vis-à-vis more historic programs.
Despite the discourse regarding their inclusion in the playoff and being regarded as three-touchdown underdogs against Oregon, the Dukes boast one of the best defenses in the country, earning an impressive B+ in PFSN’s College Defense Impact.
