This is not Easy.

JMU may be undefeated, but what's even better, is every single week matters.

The game between JMU and ODU yesterday was always going to be a classic. A late game under the lights, for JMU’s homecoming, Halloween weekend, national TV, nationally ranked, and a lot of “noise” surrounding the undefeated Dukes had this game penciled in for not just one for the ages, but also prime upset material.

ODU, now 4-4 and 3-2 in SunBelt play, is still very much alive for representing the East in the SBC Championship Game, along with every other team in the division outside of JMU. They had it all to play for and showed they are a massively improved team compared to the last couple of years. Marshall seems to be the only team who is truly on the outside looking in to represent the East and they’re even at .500 despite a 4-game skid. 

I say all of this to say, the SBC is no joke, and every team in it believes they should be going to a bowl game annually. Heck, even severely underwhelming Southern Miss took Appalachian State to the brink yesterday, eventually falling short. With the win though, the SBC East record against their West counterparts improved to 9-1. The conference as a whole has a 25-9 OOC record with multiple P5 victories. It’s nicknamed the FunBelt because with each game, you truly never know what the outcome is going to be. 

Which is why I say this: What JMU’s football team is doing, in a conference this deep with talent and passionate fan bases with proud winning traditions, is not easy. 

We have seen plenty of Top 25 teams fall to unranked opponents this year, Oklahoma losing to Kansas yesterday or UVA beating UNC likely the most shocking. Pitt also had their Pitt game to upend Louisville, and UNC lost again to an odd, yet feisty Georgia Tech team. Conference opponents in particular are always difficult whether that be familiarity, or heated rivalries. Well, rivalries for some conferences anyway as we move into the age of TV conferences. 

And now we have 8 remaining undefeated teams in FBS college football, JMU among them. 7 of those teams are ranked, some are even ranked higher despite JMU’s wins and schedule being more difficult by objective metrics. Liberty finds itself as the lone undefeated team not to be ranked in the AP poll, but most objective metrics and fans see that what the Flames have for a schedule, leaves a lot to be desired. But, going undefeated, no matter your opponents, is always something to be commended. 

However, to this point it can’t be understated that JMU’s wins this season, and the multitude of ways they have done it, show the resilience, versatility, and relentless winning culture that permeates the program. You’ll be hard pressed to find a more impressive away winning record. From the emotionally charged in-state game 4 decades in the making with UVA, to Utah State at altitude, beating reigning SBC champions Troy, and Marshall on a short week. The games on the whole with a couple of exceptions have been nerve racking, but the Dukes continue to come out on top. And furthermore, if we’re being honest, apart from the Georgia Southern game, most fans would say JMU hasn’t played to its full potential and even that game left some things to be desired. Wide Receiver Reggie Brown in the postgame following the ODU win even said JMU hasn’t played their best game yet.

So, if you went into the ODU game believing JMU was just going to run away with it, more power to you, but I knew that 20-point spread was a load of crap. In-state rivals, no matter the record or perceived talent disparity, are rarely going to be blowouts. With the defense having a performance leaving a lot to be desired against a well-executed ODU scheme, they still managed 5 sacks and had timely red zone stops holding the Monarchs to field goals and a safety to start the second half. Even in an underwhelming performance by their lofty standards, the defense was the difference. 

But this is what we wanted as JMU fans. Our time in the CAA had not been the same truthfully since a majority of the other Virginia schools ODU, GMU, and VCU left for mostly basketball reasons and of course ODU moved to FBS. Regular season games, especially in conference for football became more about “don’t lose” as opposed to enjoying the wins. The CAA as a conference has been falling off and as a result our wins in rivalry games became more of a “oh gosh we can’t lose this” instead of basking in the wins. We were a far cry from 2-4 CAA teams vying for national championships year in and year out. 

And let’s be real. The SunBelt objectively has a slim chance of producing a team that is going to legitimately be able to run the gauntlet of a couple SEC teams, a Big Ten team, and then a Florida State for a national title. But, the SBC, so long as the entire conference continues to improve and voters have to pay attention to the excellent ball being played here, will have to see our champion as the clear best “G5” team moving forward. This means, pretty much every SBC fan base believes there’s a way into the 12-team field year in and year out. 

Which brings me back to the article title, this is not easy. JMU has 3 remaining conference games, all of which are with teams that still have a legitimate chance to make it to the SBC Championship. They are also teams that JMU beat last year, so of course they will want to right those injustices in their books. The home game against UCONN also can’t be overlooked because depending on how things shake up, JMU will still at worst be a 1 loss team when that game rolls around. UCONN would love to knock off the Dukes as a feather in their cap. 

So, we sit here 2 days before Halloween (or 5 days into it if you’re a JMU student with 8 or so remaining), and JMU will be undefeated and ranked going into November. This puts them amongst teams like Michigan, Georgia, Washington, and Florida State. This is the second year of the transition, and the Dukes continue to show why belief and a winning culture go a long way in determining the outcome of games, especially close ones. I didn’t pen this to brag, I did so because like last week, I have genuine appreciation and admiration for what my team is doing this year. I also wanted to highlight that they’re also doing so against some incredibly stiff competition. 

Let’s not take these times for granted and continue to enjoy what is going to end up being a magical season, no matter how the rest of it plays out. Hats off to the rest of the SBC for giving JMU fans regular season games we care about again. It’s been a while. Time to go1-0 again this week. Go Dukes!!!