Who wants a piece of James Madison, college football's biggest surprise?

Growing pains are expected from college football programs that make the move to FBS level. James Madison is bucking historical trends as well as being the one delivering the pain.

James Madison (5-0, 3-0 in Sun Belt) announced its move to the Sun Belt Conference last November. 

From 1979-2021, the Dukes played in the Football Championship Subdivision. They were a powerhouse, making the FCS postseason each season from 2014-2021 and winning the national championship in 2016. The team's repeated dominance led to them fleeing for greener pastures. 

The Dukes entered the Associated Press poll at No. 25 this week after their fifth game at the Football Bowl Subdivision level. To put that in historical context, let's take the Oklahoma Sooners as an example. The AP Poll was created in 1936 and it took Oklahoma, a team already well-established in the sport, two seasons before it made its first appearance at No. 14 on Oct. 17, 1938.

James Madison is the 12th school to make the jump to the FBS since 2012. It is the only team to start 5-0 and appear in the AP poll in their first season.

That it made it to this level so fast is a development no one saw coming.

The 11 schools prior to James Madison averaged 4.2 wins in their inaugural year. The Dukes crossed that threshold in five games.They are led by a defense that is allowing 15 points per game.

Per Pro Football Focus, James Madison has the eighth-highest grade in the country. Granted, their grading doesn't take into account the strength of the Dukes' schedule but rather the team's success rate regardless of opponent. Against the 11th-easiest schedule, however, James Madison has done what a good team should do.

They have a point differential of plus-146. Unfortunately, as good of a story as the Dukes have been, it's guaranteed to end with their regular season finale. Per NCAA rules, a program isn't allowed to participate in a bowl game or its conference's championship game during its transition season.

That rule might end up saving the rest of college football. 

"We want Bama" is an often-heard chant among fans wanting to compete against the sport's very best. Through five games, no one is saying anything about wanting a piece of James Madison.