On Friday, the NCAA announced FCS programs must play at least four regular-season games this spring to be considered for at-large selection into the postseason.

That’s half the maximum number of games teams are allowed to play in the non-traditional campaign, which was moved from the fall to the spring due to the coronavirus.

The four-game minimum was proposed by the FCS Championship Committee and adopted by the Division I Football Oversight Committee.

“Committee members believe that a minimum of four games should provide both maximum flexibility for teams,” according to a press release from the NCAA, “while also producing adequate win-loss results for the committee to compare them against other deserving teams that played more games.

“The committee felt that evaluations will be difficult enough with only four games played. Three or fewer games played would make those evaluations exponentially more problematic.”

James Madison is currently scheduled to play eight games come spring – six in the Colonial Athletic Association along with two out of conference contests – beginning Feb. 20 at Bridgeforth Stadium against Morehead State.

Eleven automatic qualifiers and five at-large choices will construct the 16-team postseason tournament field in the spring. That’s condensed from the usual 24 teams that make the FCS playoffs.

Any suggestion that the unconventional spring season isn’t a priority for James Madison is wrong.

Dukes coach Curt Cignetti said he plans to treat it just like he would a normal fall season.

“We’re all in. If there’s a scoreboard and it counts, we’re all in,” Cignetti said when asked in his most recent video press conference last Saturday whether or not JMU would use the spring to help young players develop.

“There are no exhibition games,” Cignetti added.

The Dukes have reached the FCS national championship game in three of the last four years, and won national titles in 2004 and 2016.

JMU senior center J.T. Timming is hoping he can earn the Dukes’ starting center job after backing up former starter Mac Patrick in each of the last few seasons.

“Being behind Mac Patrick has really helped,” Timming said. “I learned a lot from him and I still look at the film that he had and I try to play my style just like he did.”

The 6-foot-2, 306-pounder from Liberty Township, Ohio waited his turn for the opportunity to compete for the No. 1 role.

“I knew my time would come eventually,” he said. “I’m going to take full advantage of it and run with it. You can’t stop working. It’s all there.”

NBC Sports Washington will re-televise memorable James Madison football games, the school announced Friday.

The games will air in full each Sunday throughout the rest of month immediately following the Washington Football Team’s postgame show on the network. This Sunday, NBCSW will show JMU’s come-from-behind win over top-ranked Appalachian State in 2008.