Both Jacksonville State and James Madison had postseason waivers denied Wednesday by the NCAA, meaning neither the Gamecocks or Dukes will be allowed to compete for their conference championships.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel was first to report the news:

Tarleton State had also requested a waiver to compete in the FCS playoffs this season. The Texans finished 8-3 this season as a member of the WAC.

The NCAA stood behind rules dictating that teams transitioning from the FCS level to FBS are ineligible for the postseason for two years. Both JSU (7-3) and JMU (10-0) are in the second year of their transitions and will not be eligible for the conference title or a bowl game until 2024.

However, it’s still likely both will play in bowl games given the strong chance there will not be enough six-win teams to fill all 82 bowl slots. The Gamecocks and Dukes would be first in line to fill any available slots for the 41 bowls before 5-7 teams would be considered.

Jax State is 5-1 in Conference USA play heading into Saturday’s home finale vs. Louisiana Tech, with its only league loss to regular-season champion Liberty (10-0, 7-0). The Flames will host the CUSA title game against New Mexico State (7-3, 6-1), which hosts the Gamecocks on Nov. 25 in what would have been a battle for the second conference title game spot.

James Madison being removed from the equation is a boost to Troy, which is now likely to host the Sun Belt championship game on Dec. 2. The Trojans (8-2, 5-1 Sun Belt) suffered their only league loss 16-14 to JMU on Sept. 16, and would likely have traveled to Harrisonburg, Va., for the conference title game if the Dukes had been eligible.

James Madison being ineligible for the conference championship also means the Dukes cannot be ranked by the College Football Playoff committee and cannot snag the Group of 5′s lone slot in the New Year’s Six bowls. JMU is currently ranked No. 18 by the Associated Press, one slot behind Tulane in the race for G5 supremacy.

James Madison will host ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday. The JMU athletics department issued the following statement late Wednesday:

“We’re obviously disappointed in the outcome of the NCAA’s review of our request for bowl relief. We’re saddened for our university community and, in particular, we’re devastated for our football program, the coaches and student-athletes who have orchestrated an amazing season and earned the opportunity. As we turn the page, we have an incredible week lined up with College GameDay here and our final home game, so we’re focused on maximizing these moments for our university and celebrating our senior class.”

This post will be updated.