Never has a program this new to the Bowl Subdivision qualified for the College Football Playoff.

In only its fourth season at the sport’s highest level, Sun Belt Conference champion James Madison earned the final spot in the 12-team bracket unveiled Sunday.

When JMU’s logo popped onto the screen, ESPN’s cameras showed players celebrating in the team room as streamers engulfed them, much as they do at Bridgeforth Stadium when the Dukes score a touchdown.

As the playoff’s No. 12 and bottom seed, JMU heads to fifth-seeded Oregon for a first-round game Dec. 20. The Big Ten Ducks (11-1) have lost only to top-seeded Indiana; the Dukes (12-1) have lost only to Louisville.

JMU had to do more than emphatically win the Sun Belt. For multiple Saturdays, the Dukes had to hope.

They had to hope th

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