When the clock hit triple zeros in the fourth quarter of JMU football’s 47-7 throttling against Coastal Carolina on Nov. 26, the Dukes’ celebration was already prepared.
Bridgeforth Stadium’s PA announcer took little time to announce JMU as “Kings of the East.” The team was given a sign with their new title written on it, and the Marching Royal Dukes serenaded the celebration with Queen’s “We Are the Champions.”
“They are playing ‘We are the Champions’ in the background, which we are,” JMU head coach Curt Cignetti told ESPNU postgame. “They’re just not playing it loud enough.”
Of course, the title “Kings of the East” is self-proclaimed. It’s not officially recognized by the Sun Belt Conference. As far as it’s concerned, the only title in the East Division that is official is the division championship, and that still belongs to Coastal Carolina.
The Chanticleers finished the season with 9-2 (6-2 Sun Belt). JMU finished 8-3 and also 6-2 in the conference. The difference? JMU is ineligible to play in the postseason, and because the division champions title is solely based on who advances to the Sun Belt Championship game, Coastal Carolina already clinched the East before the game in Harrisonburg.
Then, JMU immediately proceeded to crown themselves the “Kings of the East” after the win despite the Chanticleers’ official title.
As the celebration grew and grew, Coastal Carolina walked off the field, but a few stayed. Those who did stared at the jumbotron that showed JMU players posing with a large sign that said “Kings of the East.”
If Coastal Carolina is harboring any hard feelings toward the celebration, they aren’t showing it.
At most, Coastal Carolina head coach Jamey Chadwell said that he would’ve felt a lot better about winning the east “if last week had gone better,” during the Sun Belt’s weekly Coaches’ Call.
Chadwell touched on the rule keeping JMU out of the postseason. Chadwell, who joined the Chanticleers during their first season in the FBS in 2017, said it was not for him to judge the rule.
“I mean, I could look at it the opposite way,” he said. “When we came up we had to get to 85 scholarships and we had a signing limit. James Madison had no signing limit, they had the portal to use … so they had a lot of built-in advantages that most FCS teams don’t have.”
On the surface, both Coastal Carolina and the Sun Belt appear to want to move on. None of the coverage of the game from both Coastal Carolina nor the Sun Belt mentions JMU as “Kings of the East.” The Sun Belt hasn’t acknowledged JMU’s claim whatsoever, seemingly turning a blind eye to the whole thing because the school purposefully didn’t use the word “Champion.”
Despite JMU head coach Curt Cignetti’s insistence after the game that “everybody knows that we’re the champions of the east,” the Sun Belt seems content to ignore the claim.
As for Coastal, it’s hard to say.
With a chance to redeem themselves in the Sun Belt Championship, the Chanticleers appear focused more on their matchup with Troy than any perceived disrespect from JMU. If the “Kings of the East” celebration truly rubbed Coastal the wrong way, it’s likely we won’t know until the two teams meet again next season. This could spark a renewed passion in the rivalry, or it could fizzle out. Only time will tell.
For now, it seems safe to assume that for the foreseeable future, JMU will continue to claim that they’re the “Kings of the East,” and Coastal Carolina, no matter Saturday’s result, will continue to stand behind the rules.
“It’s in there for a reason and we’ll go with it,” Chadwell said with a grin.
