JMU football beat Coastal Carolina, 59-10, on Saturday. The Dukes are now 11-1 and 8-0 in the Sun Belt. Here’s are three takeaways from the win.

College Football Playoff dreams are real

Duke, which is 7-5, will play for an ACC title. Yes, that’s a real thing.

Saturday was a glorious day of scoreboard watching, as ACC chaos occurred. Duke finds itself in the league title game against UVA despite having five(!!!) losses.

If Duke wins, it opens up the possibility of a two-bid G5. Frankly, if Duke wins and JMU beats Troy, the Dukes deserve an automatic bid into the field over the Blue Devils.

JMU’s strength of record is 18th nationally per ESPN’s data. Duke’s? 59th. The Blue Devils are a middling team this year, while JMU has blown out just about everyone in its path after an early season loss to Louisville. Duke is also 0-2 against the G5, losing to both Tulane and UConn.

JMU has a legitimate chance to make the College Football Playoff field if Duke upsets Virginia. What a world!

Jobi Malary is a monster

Another day, another Jobi Malary breakout performance. What a guy! What a game!

The 240-pound running back finished with 12 carries for 154 yards and a TD. It’s his second 100-yard game in the past three weeks.

Wayne Knight might be the best player in the Sun Belt, but Malary is an incredible power back with explosive ability. He’s tough to tackle, and he’s quite fast for his size.

His recent surge has been huge with Jordan Fuller and Ayo Adeyi injured. He’s stepped up as a great No. 2 option alongside Knight, and he should have a role in the league title game. Malary is one of the most underrated players on JMU’s roster, but he’s been a star in two of the past three weeks.

Another Coastal beatdown

The CFP committee loves the American Conference, and that’s fine. But it’s hard to watch JMU and think the Dukes aren’t the best team in the G5.

They’re a complete football team, and Coastal Carolina got whacked by JMU again. The Dukes have outscored the Chanticleers 201-38 over the past four seasons. That’s insane.

Regardless of the committee’s view, this JMU team is special. The Dukes are good on both sides of the ball. They can beat defenses through the air with Alonza Barnett’s arm — his receivers made great TD catches Saturday. They run it well. They’re elite defensively.

JMU has a great team, and the annual tradition of blowing out the Chanticleers is alive and well. Coastal Carolina fired coach Tim Beck shortly after the blowout loss, according to reports.

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications