within the last few years. FWIW there was some talk between JMU and Delaware with the MAC about both schools making the switch in subdivisions. However, Delaware killed those talks because they weren't ready to end their football rivalry with Villanova. I think the possibility of joining the MAC may be off the table for JMU given the MAC's decision not to allow UMass to remain a football-only member in the conference. If JMU gets the majority of its out-of-state students from the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, then why it would want to become a full member in a conference where only 1 school (Buffalo) is located within JMU's target regions? If Conference USA and the Sun Belt had members in the Mid-Atlantic and/or Northeast regions, then JMU would probably consider them as football-only members (assuming they can find a home in the Atlantic 10 for the other sports).

If Conference, the MAC, and Sun Belt are off the table, then the only way JMU can switch to the FBS is if enough existing FBS schools decide to form a new FBS conference and invite JMU to join the conference. Even that may not exactly fly with the current NCAA bylaws.