2018 schedule is out:

http://www.emueagles.com/news/2018/2/21/...-2018.aspx

BYE week is second to last week of the season!

I'm excited because this makes AT Buffalo a game I can attend. 4-5 hour drive from Ypsi-Arbor - great town to visit. Gotta hit Duff's AND the Anchor bar when you're in town.

This is the composite schedule for all MAC teams. There are less mid-week games this year.

http://getsomemaction.com/news/2018/2/22...edule.aspx

Wow, is this right? NO MIDWEEK GAMES outside of Black Friday? Or will they just adjust and move some the mid-week games to Tues-Thur at a later date?

Middle-part of our season will be the most difficult once again. @SDSU, NIU, @WMU, and Toledo in 4 consecutive weeks.

(02-22-2018 03:46 PM)FrankAnderson Wrote:  Wow, is this right? NO MIDWEEK GAMES outside of Black Friday? Or will they just adjust and move some the mid-week games to Tues-Thur at a later date?

Middle-part of our season will be the most difficult once again. @SDSU, NIU, @WMU, and Toledo in 4 consecutive weeks.

Nope. That's it. We got no mid-week games.

Once again, our toughest games are early and the back end of the schedule easier.

(02-22-2018 03:46 PM)FrankAnderson Wrote:  Wow, is this right? NO MIDWEEK GAMES outside of Black Friday? Or will they just adjust and move some the mid-week games to Tues-Thur at a later date?

Middle-part of our season will be the most difficult once again. @SDSU, NIU, @WMU, and Toledo in 4 consecutive weeks.

Play the best to be the best.

All Saturday's and 2 Friday's..........MACtion suddenly disappears???? EMU may have had the MAC's worst schedule last year, so I guess it evens out.

Bye week at the end much better than last year. Overall looks a lot better than last year.

Should definitely help attendance if we get off to a good start. Not a single conference game that we should be chalking up as a 'loss' this year.

If we start 3-3, I think we will be in great position to go bowling. We have a very favorable finish, with three straight home games, and then a bye before Kent State. Just got to weather that brutal, early storm.

(02-22-2018 05:26 PM)EagleSam Wrote:  If we start 3-3, I think we will be in great position to go bowling. We have a very favorable finish, with three straight home games, and then a bye before Kent State. Just got to weather that brutal, early storm.

I guess EMU FB '18 might be like EMU MBB '17-'18. Right?

Or is EMU MBB this season like EMU FB 2017? (both did better the 2nd half of the season).

(02-22-2018 04:57 PM)EagleTough Wrote:  All Saturday's and 2 Friday's..........MACtion suddenly disappears???? EMU may have had the MAC's worst schedule last year, so I guess it evens out.

Bye week at the end much better than last year. Overall looks a lot better than last year.

Should definitely help attendance if we get off to a good start. Not a single conference game that we should be chalking up as a 'loss' this year.

No Tough I checked the MAC schedules and many games are still being played during the week so the conference still is under contract with ESPN. In the past the conference judiciously scheduled those weeknight games so every team played them and had the same amount of rest and prep time in between. While this schedule may not be as fair, it won't decimate the home attendance like years past. It's indeed nice for the MAC to have national television exposure but has also been a bit embarrassing when the crowds look like those for a high school game.

I agree that there is automatic "loss chalking" this year. We finally got rid of the "East Beast" Ohio and while Akron won that division last year, they really were not that good. I think with this schedule we need to raise our expectations beyond just being bowl eligible. It's time to consider EMU as a true MAC contender in 2018.

I caught myself trying to chalk up wins and losses for this schedule, then realized I don't have a clue what our offense will be. Are we going mobile QB / Zone Read like we did late in our last game?

I'm not impressed by NIU - I don't think there aren't super tough parts of the season

I'll admit that I don't know anything about Monmouth football. I'm not even sure where the school is at. But they did go 9-3 last year. I don't think they played any d1a schools but they'll likely be jacked up to play emu.

I've got that Purdue game circled. Ready for a road trip.

(02-22-2018 06:08 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  

(02-22-2018 04:57 PM)EagleTough Wrote:  All Saturday's and 2 Friday's..........MACtion suddenly disappears???? EMU may have had the MAC's worst schedule last year, so I guess it evens out.

Bye week at the end much better than last year. Overall looks a lot better than last year.

Should definitely help attendance if we get off to a good start. Not a single conference game that we should be chalking up as a 'loss' this year.

No Tough I checked the MAC schedules and many games are still being played during the week so the conference still is under contract with ESPN. In the past the conference judiciously scheduled those weeknight games so every team played them and had the same amount of rest and prep time in between. While this schedule may not be as fair, it won't decimate the home attendance like years past. It's indeed nice for the MAC to have national television exposure but has also been a bit embarrassing when the crowds look like those for a high school game.

I agree that there is automatic "loss chalking" this year. We finally got rid of the "East Beast" Ohio and while Akron won that division last year, they really were not that good. I think with this schedule we need to raise our expectations beyond just being bowl eligible. It's time to consider EMU as a true MAC contender in 2018.

I was joking about MACtion disappearing, we just got lucky this year. Lot's of other teams crying loudly about getting the same type of crap schedule we got last year.

Agree with you about raising our expectations, especially if we find a QB that can provide 'middle of the MAC' type production, without turning the ball over. The overwhelming majority of MAC teams right now are worried/unhappy about their QB situations heading into next season.

We have a lot to sort through at QB, just need 1 to step up.

(02-22-2018 07:45 PM)TheWoodenNickle Wrote:  I'll admit that I don't know anything about Monmouth football. I'm not even sure where the school is at. But they did go 9-3 last year. I don't think they played any d1a schools but they'll likely be jacked up to play emu.

I've got that Purdue game circled. Ready for a road trip.

Jersey Shore -West Long Branch- Pretty campus. Not far from Monmouth Racetrack.
Wife's relatives just did the FB stadium expansion/renovation. For MAC history buffs, the Villapiano's are from the area. For Springsteen fans , you're not far from the Stone Pony.

(02-22-2018 08:49 PM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  

(02-22-2018 07:45 PM)TheWoodenNickle Wrote:  I'll admit that I don't know anything about Monmouth football. I'm not even sure where the school is at. But they did go 9-3 last year. I don't think they played any d1a schools but they'll likely be jacked up to play emu.

I've got that Purdue game circled. Ready for a road trip.

Jersey Shore -West Long Branch- Pretty campus. Not far from Monmouth Racetrack.
Wife's relatives just did the FB stadium expansion/renovation. For MAC history buffs, the Villapiano's are from the area. For Springsteen fans , you're not far from the Stone Pony.

Thanks Boca.

Monmouth had possibly their best season ever last year, but play in a lower-level FCS conference. Each time they played a high-level FCS team (like Kennesaw State) they got their asses kicked.

They're much better than MVSU, for example, but nowhere near NDSU/Northern Iowa-level either.

Dear Friends,
Just checked the Monmouth roster, and except for a couple of defensive linemen weighing in at the 300 pound area, most of the listed defensive line came in between 240 and 260 pounds. I, of course don't know anything else, as to agility, strength, starters, experience, etc., but it would seem that if we have mostly 300 pound offensive linemen, we should be able to have a decent run game. I also believe in not counting your chickens.

(02-23-2018 10:49 AM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Friends,
Just checked the Monmouth roster, and except for a couple of defensive linemen weighing in at the 300 pound area, most of the listed defensive line came in between 240 and 260 pounds. I, of course don't know anything else, as to agility, strength, starters, experience, etc., but it would seem that if we have mostly 300 pound offensive linemen, we should be able to have a decent run game. I also believe in not counting your chickens.

When in doubt one can always go to the Sagarins:

https://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaaf/sa...onference/

Even though Vegas doesn't like to do FBS vs. FCS lines, if they did I think we'd be about a 17 point favorite.

Good opening game to get back into full contact, full speed football. Defense should be able to really limit their offense, giving our offense a lot of good reps for the new QB's, WR's and TE's.

Will be very interesting to see who they march out there as the starting QB?