James Madison earned a first-round bye for the FCS Playoffs by finishing 10-1 overall and 8-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The No. 4-seeded Dukes will host the winner of Lehigh and New Hampshire next Saturday, Dec. 3 at 2 p.m.

Remember, you can submit questions via Twitter using #JMUTalk or send an email to me at gmadia@dnroline.com. Let’s jump into this playoff edition of the mailbag.

EMAIL FROM Jonathan K.

Trying to understand the team's schedule this week: since there are no classes, are they practicing or still off on Monday as per normal weeks? Also, if they are on Thanksgiving break, what do players do if they have longer drives home and can't reasonably make it home and back for practice presumably on the weekend?

Good logistical question, Jonathan. Coach Mike Houston wanted his assistants and his players to have to time away for Thanksgiving. JMU practiced Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Houston said his plan was to get everyone out after lunch Wednesday, so that players weren’t driving home in the dark. Both players and coaches have Thursday and Friday off this week. Coaches will meet Saturday to watch Lehigh and New Hampshire and then prepare for the winner. Players return Sunday as if it were a regular game week. There aren’t a ton of players on the roster from too far away – maybe the guys from Florida or Georgia – but I’m sure they’re taken care of. Maybe teammates that live nearby invite those who live further away to have Thanksgiving with them.

Lehigh features a potent offense – one that’s ranked No. 7 nationally in total offense, No. 6 in scoring and No. 6 in passing. Mountain Hawks quarterback Nick Shafinsky has thrown 20 touchdowns compared to only five interceptions. He was the Patriot League's Offensive Player of the Year. It’s an offense that isn’t going to be afraid of a shootout against JMU. Additionally, Lehigh has the same path to the quarterfinals that fellow Patriot League member Colgate had a year ago. Colgate won at New Hampshire before winning at JMU. With New Hampshire, JMU at least knows the opponent well. The Dukes defense shut down UNH’s offense for three quarters before the Wildcats almost stormed back from 30 points down. With the way the Bob Trott’s unit has improved since then, I think the defense would be able to correct those mistakes it made in that fourth quarter at UNH. So in my opinion, the tougher matchup is Lehigh – especially if JMU is without junior quarterback Bryan Schor. The ability to win a shootout goes down significantly without Schor.

Houston has said he anticipates being at, “full strength by December 3rd.” The first-round bye allows JMU some extra time to get Schor, running back Cardon Johnson and right tackle Mitchell Kirsch healthy. Schor, who had been in a sling since being injured at Villanova, was no longer in the sling at practice on Tuesday, so that’s probably a good sign for JMU. Houston also sent out this Tweet on Wednesday:

But anyway, if Schor can't go, as far as prepping the true freshman Cole Johnson goes, JMU has to keep it simple like it did for the signal-caller against Elon – comeback routes, screens and the occasional deep ball in the passing game. The wildcat wrinkle helps take pressure off Johnson too and Houston said JMU could go to it again in the postseason if it had to.

I was thinking about this Sunday after the bracket was unveiled – my initial thought was Chattanooga and as I looked at the pairing more, I thought about Villanova. Chattanooga’s three losses are to The Citadel (a national seed), Wofford (a playoff team) and Alabama (the No. 1 FBS team). The Mocs led Alabama for a quarter and stayed in the game for three quarters – that alone should give Chattanooga some confidence going into their first-round game against Weber State. With Villanova, it’s all about the 3-3-5 stack defense. The scheme is something opponents aren’t used to preparing for. Plus the personnel Villanova has defensively is strong too, led by CAA Defensive Player of the Year and NFL prospect Tanoh Kpassagnon. Villanova never gave up more than 28 points in a game. The Wildcats boast the nation’s No. 3 scoring and total defense. So, to answer your question, I'd say either Chattanooga or Villanova.