The College Football Playoff selection committee hates JMU football’s schedule. Fair enough! The Dukes are still in the mix to make the playoff field, even if they have work to do.

Here’s what JMU fans should root for outside of the Dukes’ game against Washington State — they need to win that game with style points — for the Dukes to have a better chance of making the field.

As a reminder, Tulane is ranked 24th in the latest CFP rankings. No other G5 team is ranked.

Thursday

Louisiana over Arkansas State, 7:30 p.m.

This is small potatoes, but JMU can use all the help it can get from teams it beat. With the Ragin’ Cajuns facing ULM at home to end the season, they have a legitimate chance to win their final two games to finish 6-6 and bowl eligible. Arkansas State is a small favorite, but Louisiana should be competitive here.

Saturday

Louisville over SMU, noon

JMU desperately needs the Cardinals to wake up. Louisville should’ve defeated Clemson last week but missed multiple field goals and an extra point in a 20-19 loss. The Cardinals are a field goal road underdog, but a win here and a victory in the final week of the year against Kentucky could put Louisville in the committee’s final top 25. This is a big one for JMU fans, as Louisville has slipped from 7-1 to 7-3 with consecutive sloppy home defeats. It’s time for a big road win.

Minnesota over Northwestern, noon

One of Tulane’s best wins came at home against Northwestern. The more Northwestern and Duke lose in the final two weeks, the better for JMU.

Old Dominion over Georgia Southern, 1 p.m.

JMU benefits from the Monarchs going 9-3 with style points down the stretch. The Dukes need to be able to point to at least one quality win.

Marshall over App State, 2:30 p.m.

There’s a realistic scenario where the Thundering Herd get to 7-5, making that a nice road win for the Dukes.

Liberty over Louisiana Tech, 3 p.m.

The Flames are a dreadful 4-6. Could they win two in a row to give JMU another win over a bowl-caliber team?

Southern Miss over South Alabama, 3:30 p.m.

The Sun Belt West representative in the league title game won’t look great on paper, but the Dukes can at least hope Southern Miss beats South Alabama and Troy to come to Harrisonburg with a 9-3 record and respectable underlying metrics. That’s a chance to make a statement over a team with a solid record in the Sun Belt finale.

ECU over UTSA, 3:30 p.m.

JMU needs to root for 3-loss ECU to win the American Conference. Plus, UTSA beat Tulane. If they take a sixth loss, that defeat will start to look even uglier and the committee might pay it closer attention.

North Carolina over Duke, 3:30 p.m.

JMU benefits from Tulane’s signature opponents losing.

Temple over Tulane, 3:45 p.m.

This would be massive for JMU’s chances. Temple is coming off a bye and has played solid football this fall, sitting at 5-5. If the Green Wave take a loss here, they’ll be out of the conversation and it could impact the committee’s view of the American.

Coastal Carolina over South Carolina, 4:15 p.m.

This would be shocking, but it would also be season-altering for the Dukes. If Coastal Carolina wins here against an SEC team, the committee would pay close attention to the Dukes’ matchup with the Chanticleers on Nov. 29. Again, this isn’t likely, but it could change the committee’s entire perception of JMU’s schedule if Coastal pulls the stunning upset.

Texas State over ULM, 5 p.m.

The Bobcats are ruining JMU’s season. They’re somehow 4-6 with four one-possession losses. Of course they also beat potential Sun Belt West champion Southern Miss by 24 last weekend to destroy the Golden Eagles’ reputation. Nice work, American sleeper agent.

Anyway, Texas State beating ULM and South Alabama to finish 6-6 would be a nice plus for the Dukes.

Rice over North Texas, 7:30 p.m.

The committee loves the American Conference. JMU either needs both Tulane and UNT to lose once more, or the Dukes need the committee to take a muuuuuch closer look at strength of record and the eye test/predictive metrics. That seems unlikely. North Texas losing once more would be massive for JMU’s playoff dreams — as it also brings into play ECU making the American title game and pulling a crucial upset.

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications