HERO Sports Tabs JMU the Best College Football Team in Virginia

HARRISONBURG, Va. – HERO Sports revealed its second-ever edition of the Best College Football Team in Every State, Regardless of Division, and James Madison was selected as the top team in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the organization announced Tuesday.

The award is a result of an equation HERO Sports created to level the playing field across all NCAA divisions of college football. Points were tabulated based on winning percentage, conference championships, playoff appearances, coach of the year awards and national championships over the past five seasons.

Since 2012, JMU has compiled a 45-18 record (71.4%), which included a program-record 14-1 mark in 2016, ending in the Dukes capturing their second-ever national title in football.

JMU has reached the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in each of the past three seasons, marking only the second time in program history the Dukes have gone to the postseason in three consecutive playoffs (2006-08).

Over the past five seasons, JMU has produced three Colonial Athletic Association major award winners in Vad Lee (2015 CAA Offensive POY), Rashard Davis (2016 CAA Special Teams POY) and Bryan Schor (2016 CAA Offensive POY).

Head Coach Mike Houston was named the league's coach of the year last season after guiding JMU to a perfect 8-0 record in conference play for the team's second straight CAA championship. Following the national championship, Houston was honored as the American Football Coaches Association FCS National Coach of the Year.

The defending national champions open the 2017 season, presented by CarMax, on Saturday, Sept. 2 at East Carolina. That contest kicks off at 6 p.m. on ESPN3.

Season tickets, mini plans and single-game tickets are on sale now by visiting JMUTickets.com or by calling 540-568-3853. Student tickets are also available for the 2017 season.

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