Fourth-ranked Old Dominion is in the 20-team FCS playoff field, while #17 James Madison was left out of the playoffs after dropping its final two games.
ODU (10-1) rallied from a 21-10 halftime deficit to beat JMU (7-4) 38-28 Saturday night in Harrisonburg. The win sealed a first-round playoff bye for the Monarchs, who will host on Dec. 1 the winner of the Bethune-Cookman (9-2) vs. Coastal Carolina (7-4) first-round game.
The loss for Madison put the Dukes on the playoff bubble. A win would have given JMU a shot at the CAA’s automatic bid into the tourney field, which went instead to Villanova (8-3), who despite being the official champion of the toughest conference in FCS will have to play a first-round game this weekend against Stony Brook (9-2).
ODU finished the 2012 CAA schedule with a 7-1 league record, but before the season the Monarchs were deemed ineligible to compete for the league title after the school announced its intent to move to I-A in 2013.
The CAA ended up with three teams in the field, with New Hampshire (8-3) earning a first-round bye and a date in the second round with Wofford (8-3).
New Hampshire lost its regular-season finale to Towson 64-35 on Saturday.
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