Topic: Marshall-Eastern Michigan schedule series

[MUsince96]

https://fbschedules.com/eastern-michigan-marshall-schedule-football-series-for-2026-2028/

Managed to find one worse than Missouri State.

At least there's no FCS game in 2026. Silver lining.

[Herdman77]

Eastern Michigan plays on the worst colored field in all of football. You think watching Boise St. on that blue field is hard on the eyes. Try watching that gray field E. Michigan has.

[svherd]

We aren't gonna get anymore P5's here. That ship has sailed. Until we are good again and draw some national attention, these will be our future OOC type games. Jmho

[MUsince96]

I know scheduling is a puzzle. I've heard it's one of the most difficult parts of the job but geeze. Some of these future home games are snoozers.

[Ovaltine Jenkins]

It would have been nice to get a couple of AAC teams and/or another Mountain West team in the mix. Eastern Michigan, Missouri State and Middle Tennessee won't do jack for attendance.

[whf]

It would have been nice to get a couple of AAC teams and/or another Mountain West team in the mix. Eastern Michigan, Missouri State and Middle Tennessee won't do jack for attendance.

I agree, and must admit that a pattern of seeking and agreeing to games with C-USA and MAC programs; instead of better games with AAC and MWC schools.  I'm kind of wondering if we see the same pattern develop with other SBC schools, wanting those out of conference wins for national positioning. Who wants to lose to a MWC or AAC school when the SBC is competing much more directly with them for that highest conference positioning for the big playoff chance at the end of each year?

And conversely, I think MU is a great G5 get for the new C-USA giant, Missouri State, MTSU and EMU. 

[elginherd]

https://fbschedules.com/eastern-michigan-marshall-schedule-football-series-for-2026-2028/

Managed to find one worse than Missouri State.

At least there's no FCS game in 2026. Silver lining.

If it remains no FCS, that's a big silver lining.

[herd2win]

We are an average G5 team right now.  We are not in a position to be critical of playing Eastern Michigan.  They were one of our opponents during our so called glory years and no one complained.

Lace up our shoes and get a win.

[MUsince96]

We are an average G5 team right now.  We are not in a position to be critical of playing Eastern Michigan.  They were one of our opponents during our so called glory years and no one complained.

Lace up our shoes and get a win.

It's a boring opponent that won't drive ticket sales. Our current competitive standing is irrelevant. So I'll be critical of it.

We played them twice during our glory years. They weren't some old MAC rival like Ohio or Toledo.

[Flat Tire 2]

It's a boring opponent that won't drive ticket sales. Our current competitive standing is irrelevant. So I'll be critical of it.

We played them twice during our glory years. They weren't some old MAC rival like Ohio or Toledo.

FYI: we have played them four times. Older Herd fans will remember the first meeting of the schools in 1983. It was Marshall opening game of the season and it was suppose to be the year that Sonny Randle was going to finally turn around the program (it was Sonny's 5th year at MU). EMU won that game 7-3. Marshall returned to Fairfield for their next game which was our home opener and lost to Illinois State 27-3. That helped to sealed the fate of Sonny who ended the season at 4-7 and was fired. I still can't get over that Sonny was such a really bad offensive coach since he was a WR in the NFL. Sonny's boring offense really turned off most Marshall fans.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Marshall_Thundering_Herd_football_team

[MUsince96]

FYI: we have played them four times.

Right but I was referencing 1997 and 1998 to the person who implied they were regular opponents during our glory years.

[elginherd]

It's a boring opponent that won't drive ticket sales. Our current competitive standing is irrelevant. So I'll be critical of it.

We played them twice during our glory years. They weren't some old MAC rival like Ohio or Toledo.

LOL!

And, IMO, correct.

[Big City]

This sucks. Are things this bad?

[coalherd]

Hey, even if AD Spears couldn't land a deal with Toledo or Lil Miami, it still is "Back to the MAC"!!  And there has to droves and droves of diehard HERD FANS out there who STILL have Ypsilanti, Michigan on their Bucket Lists!!!!

[MUther]

It's a boring opponent that won't drive ticket sales. Our current competitive standing is irrelevant. So I'll be critical of it.

We played them twice during our glory years. They weren't some old MAC rival like Ohio or Toledo.

We only played Toledo as often as we did because we were both good enough to make the championship games.  Toledo still makes those championship games.  We do not.  Don't understand the snubbing of teams that are at least FBS.  We aren't on anybody's wishlist, either, and we aren't a draw for them like we used to be.  At the end of the day does it matter if it was a crappy ECU or a crappy EMU?  Go see the Herd win one and you better hope they do after that attitude.

[coalherd]

We aren't gonna get anymore P5's here. That ship has sailed. Until we are good again and draw some national attention, these will be our future OOC type games. Jmho

Maybe whoever is in charge of our scheduling "fleet" needs to learn how scheduling P5s is done.  Just checked UNC-Charlotte's future schedules.  In 24-25, they have home and away deal with UNC; in 25-26, the have hone and away games with Ole Miss, and in 29-30, they have the same kind of deal with NC State.

Anybody remember UNC-C's Richardson Stadium?  Last time I saw MU play the 49ers there it held maybe about 15,000-16,000, or about what "Ye Olde Fairfield" held when the Herd last played there years back!!  Games with name, even Power opponents, even home ones, can be held, if a school has the person in charge of Athletics capable of finding said games!!

[Flat Tire 2]

Maybe whoever is in charge of our scheduling "fleet" needs to learn how scheduling P5s is done.  Just checked UNC-Charlotte's future schedules.  In 24-25, they have home and away deal with UNC; in 25-26, the have hone and away games with Ole Miss, and in 29-30, they have the same kind of deal with NC State.

Anybody remember UNC-C's Richardson Stadium?  Last time I saw MU play the 49ers there it held maybe about 15,000-16,000, or about what "Ye Olde Fairfield" held when the Herd last played there years back!!  Games with name, even Power opponents, even home ones, can be held, if a school has the person in charge of Athletics capable of finding said games!!

Well, UNCC is in the AAC which has bigger budgets than the SBC. Remember Charlotte is a hot recruiting area and it gives the schools exposure in that market. Similar to ODU getting decent home opponents because of the rich recruiting area in Tidewater.

FYI: Miami is ending their long time series with UC. Apparently Miami wanted to end the series which is one of the oldest series in college football per the message board chatter. Who knows, but UC entering the B12 changes the dynamics.
https://csnbbs.com/thread-994121.html

[MUsince96]

We only played Toledo as often as we did because we were both good enough to make the championship games.  Toledo still makes those championship games.  We do not.  Don't understand the snubbing of teams that are at least FBS.  We aren't on anybody's wishlist, either, and we aren't a draw for them like we used to be.  At the end of the day does it matter if it was a crappy ECU or a crappy EMU?  Go see the Herd win one and you better hope they do after that attitude.

It's great if you're a "I'd go to watch us play Glenville State" type fan. Opponent just doesn't matter to you. Honestly that's great; no sarcasm.

But if you think opponents don't drive interest or ticket sales I don't know what to tell you.

I promise my opinion of the opponent won't affect the outcome though.


As for us but not being on anyone's wishlist.

In 2023, we were Georgia State's and Coastal Carolina's most attended games.

We were App State's second most attended game after the removal of their temporary bleachers bumped the first two game numbers up.

We were ECU's third most attended game but within 2,000-some of their most attended game.

NC State sold out.

South Alabama fans didn't come out to that game. Last home game and they were 5-5.

In 2022, we were Bowling Green and JMU's most attended
ND sold out (and didn't sell out every game)
Troy's second most attended (outside Army)
Georgia Southern wasn't well attended as they were 5-5 at that point. ODU fans didn't come out either as they were 3-5 at that point.


Overall we still look to be one of the bigger names on opposing teams schedules.

[NewfieHerdFan]

If it was scheduled to eliminate FCS games, then I'm fine with it...but I don't think that's the case.

Strength of schedule (SOS) will be weak in 2026 and 2028. Sucks if we get on a roll and SOS hinders us moving up in the rankings.

Given the current landscape of college football, scheduling "power" teams for home games is going to be extremely hard or won't happen at all. The wheels are in motion and "power" teams/conferences are already starting to cancel existing games with G5s and looking at only scheduling other OOC "power" teams. Some don't even want to play G5s at their place.

[GreenDaddy]

I figure this series probably came about due to Spears past ties there. I agree with everyone else though that our time getting P4s in Huntington are all but over, but we could aim to schedule better G5 schools. It'd honestly be better to play a 9th SBC game.

[ironcheftvdinner]

Charlotte is a hotbed of banking and is more than willing to pour money into their city institution. Just like they pour money into Queens. 

Richardson Stadium is in Phase I of an expansion that will increase capacity to close to 19,000. Phase II will see it go to 21,000 or so. They are building with the possibility of having a total of 40,000 seats. If they can build on what they have going they will easily attain the funding.

Also, the NC legislature has House Bill 965 which says the at UNC and NC State must play each other every year in football and other in state FBS programs must play each other regularly. This is helping Charlotte and App State get these games. For years only Wake would play App State regularly. NC State would schedule them occasionally and the likes of Mack Brown, the first time around, and others in la la land saw no benefit in playing them.

[coalherd]

Well, UNCC is in the AAC which has bigger budgets than the SBC. Remember Charlotte is a hot recruiting area and it gives the schools exposure in that market. Similar to ODU getting decent home opponents because of the rich recruiting area in Tidewater.

FYI: Miami is ending their long time series with UC. Apparently Miami wanted to end the series which is one of the oldest series in college football per the message board chatter. Who knows, but UC entering the B12 changes the dynamics.
https://csnbbs.com/thread-994121.html

Well, after playing UNCC several years while in CUSA, ole Doc Holliday sure garnered lots of "big time" recruits for MU from that "hot recruiting area" in Charlotte, didn't he??

[MUther]

ND sold out (and didn't sell out every game)

Lol, it was top 10 ND's home opener.  Of course it sold out.  They didn't sell out after that because they lost to us. 

Most of the places you mentioned we have a lot of alumni or it's early in the year and their team doesn't suck, yet.

Georgia St had a great beginning season last year.  CCU has a ton of Herd fans locally.   App sold out all their games last year, but likely got more Herd fans attending as well because they're close and a historical rival.  Bowling Green was their homecoming, etc etc.

My point was where we used to send 5-10k anywhere you could drive, it's maybe 1-2k, now.  And the attitude on EMU and hoping we better win wasn't directed at you specifically, just those that feel they are beneath us in general.

Not saying we aren't an attractive opponent, especially for newbies like JMU, but we aren't what we used to be and are easily substituted for any other G5, OOC.  The first time we go to a new conference team's home game we are going to get some interest.  They know who we are.  Turn of the century we would have overflowed those stadiums with Herdfans.  Now we just have die-hards that follow them anywhere.   If there was a line of better teams hoping to play us, we'd be playing them.  ECU is the only former CUSA team, while we were in it, that has agreed to play us and they cut it off after one rotation.  If they felt we would fill their stadium why wouldn't ECU, Memphis, Tulane, SMU, Tulsa, etc be calling the hotline to schedule us?  ECU originally only scheduled us for the anniversary of the crash for exposure and publicity.  They don't care about us and asked out after we made good ion the return trip.