Head Coach: Chris Creighton is entering his 11th season as the head coach of the Eagles with a 52-68 record. He is the most underrated coach in the country. He’s taken Eastern Michigan to 6 bowl games, they have 8 total appearances in their program’s history.
Program Outlook: Before diving into where the program is now, we need to look back on where it was before Creighton got here. This was possibly the toughest job in the MAC, 0-4 win seasons were the norm. Outside of a great 4 year run in the late 80s, Eastern Michigan only had 2 winning seasons prior to Creighton’s arrival. After a couple rebuilding seasons to start out, Creighton has turned winning records into a regular thing for Eastern Michigan. The 2022 season was one of the best in program history, they beat Arizona State (and got Herm Edwards fired), won their bowl game and won 9 games. It feels like one of these years they’ll break through and win the MAC.
How does the 2024 Roster look?: Eastern Michigan’s roster will have a lot of questions, but I’m confident they will find some answers. They struggled a lot on offense last year averaging under 20 points a game, they couldn’t run the ball and couldn’t pass it either. The Eagles have some reinforcements to help. They completely revamped the passing game, bringing in QB Cole Snyder from Buffalo and added some receivers via the portal. NC State transfer RB Delbert Mimms can do, he was used solely as a short yardage back there and it’ll be fun to see what he can do with a bigger role now. The offensive line was a huge problem last season, and there’s not a whole lot of starting experience back either so that unit will be a big mystery. Eastern Michigan is typically solid defensively but there’s a load of questions especially after the defense collapses at the end of last season. Nose Tackle Peyton Price is the star of this defense, he can make an impact inside against the run or getting after opposing QBs, the Eagles really someone to step up next to him so they can get a better pass rush. They’ve got a couple guys back at linebacker but the Eagles will be primarily relying on the guys they got from the portal to step in and play right away. James Djonkam from Arizona State and Luke Murphy in particular are key candidates. There will be a lot of pressure on this secondary if the pass rush doesn’t improve but at least this will be one of the biggest strengths of the team. They have a great corner duo in Daiquan White and Joshua Scott. Scott was an impact player in 2022 but missed all of last season so having him back is a plus.
Screenshot from fbschedules.com1
2024 Schedule Thoughts: This schedule isn’t bad. The opener against UMass will be huge to set the tone for both teams. Washington is replacing a ton but are going to be a challenge for the Eagles, it’s funny Washington waited until they were in the Big Ten before facing the Eagles for the first time. Jax State will be a tough game, the Gamecocks won 9 games last year but at least it’s at home. Eastern Michigan faces St Francis as their FCS foe, the Red Flash went 4-6 last season so this is a very winnable game. Eastern Michigan is in the pod with their directional Michigan rivals and we know those will be tough hard fought games but a huge advantage for them is they play Kent State, Akron and Buffalo who are all trying to figure things out. They get Toledo and Miami at home but those will be tough.
Vegas Projection: Eastern Michigan’s win total is set at 4.5 with the odds geared toward the over. Feels like a Creighton team can always scrap their way to a bowl but -144 odds aren’t a strong payoff. However you can pick Eastern Michigan to win 6+ games at +110.
2024 Best Case: This is a Chris Creighton team of course they’re going to find a way to be good. The Eagles start the season strong by dominating UMass and threatening Washington the next week. They finally make a statement by taking down Jacksonville State on the gray turf, and they win the next 5 after that. Eastern Michigan then faces Toledo for a chance to take complete command of the MAC. They force the Rockets into a slow grind it out game and pull off the victory at the end. The Eagles avoid a letdown against Ohio and finish the season strong with an 11-1 record, one of the best ever, but they’re not done. The Eagles find themselves against Bowling Green in the conference championship and manage to take down the Falcons to win the conference. Yes they get passed up for a playoff spot but the Eagles win their bowl to finish 13-1 for an incredible season.
2024 Worst Case: Ok maybe it’s not sustainable to keep scraping by wins and it all collapses. The Eagles are clearly in trouble when UMass trounces them in the opener, and of course they don’t stand a chance against Washington or Jax State next. They wheeze their way past St Francis but that’s all for the highlights. Once they lose to Kent State and Akron a few weeks later its apparent they won’t win again. The 1-11 collapse is the worst they’ve had in a long time and their fans have to worry about how long it will take to dig out of it.
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