Athlon Sports Preseason Top 25

[ewueagle2010]

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/athlon-sports-fcs-preseason-top-25-2016

12. Eastern Washington
(6-5, 5-3 Big Sky)
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp, the 2015 Walter Payton Award Winner, has 58 total TDs in his career. But for the Eagles to rebound from a subpar season, quarterback Jordan West needs more consistency and the defense must tighten for — gulp — an opening stretch of Washington State, North Dakota State and Northern Iowa.

Also ranked:

North Dakota #15
Montana #16
Portland State #21
Northern Arizona #24

I think the Eags have top 10 talent, but the schedule is daunting. I think they very well could be the best team in the conference but COULD miss the playoffs.

 

[marceagfan5]

Good poll, although Charleston Southern and the Citadel in the top 10 is a joke...

We definitely have top 10 talent, we also have, probably, the toughest FCS schedule...If We can start 2-2 and are going to be in for a damn good year.

 

[LDopaPDX]

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/athlon-sports-fcs-preseason-top-25-2016

12. Eastern Washington
(6-5, 5-3 Big Sky)
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp, the 2015 Walter Payton Award Winner, has 58 total TDs in his career. But for the Eagles to rebound from a subpar season, quarterback Jordan West needs more consistency and the defense must tighten for — gulp — an opening stretch of Washington State, North Dakota State and Northern Iowa.

Also ranked:

North Dakota #15
Montana #16
Portland State #21
Northern Arizona #24

I think the Eags have top 10 talent, but the schedule is daunting. I think they very well could be the best team in the conference but COULD miss the playoffs.

Agree. I don't doubt Eastern has top 10 talent, but the AD has really stacked the deck against the team. I still can't understand the logic in making a schedule like this one, especially when breaking in an all-new OL. We could conceivably be a really good team, but essentially out of the playoffs before the end of September.

Gotta be honest, I'm really struggling with how our AD manages things. Chaves seems like a nice man, and clearly he does a great job hiring and retaining coaching talent. But our schedules and facilities are poor and seem to be getting worse, not better.

Football aside, the basketball team played ONE division I team at home last year. If you include a home game against Pepperdine (for which Eastern lost a good amount of money), the total was two.

 

[LDopaPDX]

Good poll, although Charleston Southern and the Citadel in the top 10 is a joke...

We definitely have top 10 talent, we also have, probably, the toughest FCS schedule...If We can start 2-2 and are going to be in for a damn good year.

To this point, it seems like EVERY year, Eastern has one of the 5 toughest schedules in the FCS. I get playing a BCS $$$ game, but taking on the two toughest teams in the MVC is strange. The team could wind up terribly banged up and without the reserves seeing much, if any, action by the time conference play starts. Why not leave a little wiggle-room in there?

 

[MLEagle]

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/athlon-sports-fcs-preseason-top-25-2016

12. Eastern Washington
(6-5, 5-3 Big Sky)
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp, the 2015 Walter Payton Award Winner, has 58 total TDs in his career. But for the Eagles to rebound from a subpar season, quarterback Jordan West needs more consistency and the defense must tighten for — gulp — an opening stretch of Washington State, North Dakota State and Northern Iowa.

Also ranked:

North Dakota #15
Montana #16
Portland State #21
Northern Arizona #24

I think the Eags have top 10 talent, but the schedule is daunting. I think they very well could be the best team in the conference but COULD miss the playoffs.

Agree. I don't doubt Eastern has top 10 talent, but the AD has really stacked the deck against the team. I still can't understand the logic in making a schedule like this one, especially when breaking in an all-new OL. We could conceivably be a really good team, but essentially out of the playoffs before the end of September.

Gotta be honest, I'm really struggling with how our AD manages things. Chaves seems like a nice man, and clearly he does a great job hiring and retaining coaching talent. But our schedules and facilities are poor and seem to be getting worse, not better.

Football aside, the basketball team played ONE division I team at home last year. If you include a home game against Pepperdine (for which Eastern lost a good amount of money), the total was two.

Your arguement is very sound in that there can be too tough of a schedule. I am against playing 2 FBS games in a year because they are tough to win and they are always road games, but I don't mind playing tough non-conference FCS games because they are home and home. As a season ticket holder I am stoked that we get UNI and Griz at home this year, and NDSU and MSU next year. That is a great pair of home games!!! I'm fine with tough home and home games, it is the FBS road games that I don't care for.

 

[marceagfan5]

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/athlon-sports-fcs-preseason-top-25-2016

12. Eastern Washington
(6-5, 5-3 Big Sky)
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp, the 2015 Walter Payton Award Winner, has 58 total TDs in his career. But for the Eagles to rebound from a subpar season, quarterback Jordan West needs more consistency and the defense must tighten for — gulp — an opening stretch of Washington State, North Dakota State and Northern Iowa.

Also ranked:

North Dakota #15
Montana #16
Portland State #21
Northern Arizona #24

I think the Eags have top 10 talent, but the schedule is daunting. I think they very well could be the best team in the conference but COULD miss the playoffs.

Agree. I don't doubt Eastern has top 10 talent, but the AD has really stacked the deck against the team. I still can't understand the logic in making a schedule like this one, especially when breaking in an all-new OL. We could conceivably be a really good team, but essentially out of the playoffs before the end of September.

Gotta be honest, I'm really struggling with how our AD manages things. Chaves seems like a nice man, and clearly he does a great job hiring and retaining coaching talent. But our schedules and facilities are poor and seem to be getting worse, not better.

Football aside, the basketball team played ONE division I team at home last year. If you include a home game against Pepperdine (for which Eastern lost a good amount of money), the total was two.

Your arguement is very sound in that there can be too tough of a schedule. I am against playing 2 FBS games in a year because they are tough to win and they are always road games, but I don't mind playing tough non-conference FCS games because they are home and home. As a season ticket holder I am stoked that we get UNI and Griz at home this year, and NDSU and MSU next year. That is a great pair of home games!!! I'm fine with tough home and home games, it is the FBS road games that I don't care for.

The problem is with 2 home and home FCS games and 1 FBS game every year, we only get 5 home games a year. Big FCS schools would NEVER do that. When was the last time UM or MSU or NDSU only had 5 home games in one season? Dopa makes a good point, we don't schedule well. Our schedule is brutal next year...I get playing great teams at home, but I'd rather play teams at home in December and schedules like this nearly prevent it.

We need to pay bad FCS schools to come here for a game or play a D2, i would rather that than having a brutal schedule to start year in, year out. The last time we played 6 home games in an 11 game season was 2010...that worked out pretty well, even though one of our home games was in Seattle.

 

[bigskybears]

My pick is NAU to win the entire conference and make a deep run at the playoffs. They're returning the most talent in my opinion.

 

[LDopaPDX]

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/athlon-sports-fcs-preseason-top-25-2016

12. Eastern Washington
(6-5, 5-3 Big Sky)
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp, the 2015 Walter Payton Award Winner, has 58 total TDs in his career. But for the Eagles to rebound from a subpar season, quarterback Jordan West needs more consistency and the defense must tighten for — gulp — an opening stretch of Washington State, North Dakota State and Northern Iowa.

Also ranked:

North Dakota #15
Montana #16
Portland State #21
Northern Arizona #24

I think the Eags have top 10 talent, but the schedule is daunting. I think they very well could be the best team in the conference but COULD miss the playoffs.

Agree. I don't doubt Eastern has top 10 talent, but the AD has really stacked the deck against the team. I still can't understand the logic in making a schedule like this one, especially when breaking in an all-new OL. We could conceivably be a really good team, but essentially out of the playoffs before the end of September.

Gotta be honest, I'm really struggling with how our AD manages things. Chaves seems like a nice man, and clearly he does a great job hiring and retaining coaching talent. But our schedules and facilities are poor and seem to be getting worse, not better.

Football aside, the basketball team played ONE division I team at home last year. If you include a home game against Pepperdine (for which Eastern lost a good amount of money), the total was two.

Your arguement is very sound in that there can be too tough of a schedule. I am against playing 2 FBS games in a year because they are tough to win and they are always road games, but I don't mind playing tough non-conference FCS games because they are home and home. As a season ticket holder I am stoked that we get UNI and Griz at home this year, and NDSU and MSU next year. That is a great pair of home games!!! I'm fine with tough home and home games, it is the FBS road games that I don't care for.

The problem is with 2 home and home FCS games and 1 FBS game every year, we only get 5 home games a year. Big FCS schools would NEVER do that. When was the last time UM or MSU or NDSU only had 5 home games in one season? Dopa makes a good point, we don't schedule well. Our schedule is brutal next year...I get playing great teams at home, but I'd rather play teams at home in December and schedules like this nearly prevent it.

We need to pay bad FCS schools to come here for a game or play a D2, i would rather that than having a brutal schedule to start year in, year out. The last time we played 6 home games in an 11 game season was 2010...that worked out pretty well, even though one of our home games was in Seattle.

I don't even think paying bad FCS teams is necessary... Let's just do home-home with them instead of the best teams of the Southland or MVC. Why approach NDSU, UNI, and Sam Houston State and hope for a split when you can get Morehead State, Houston Baptist, or Grambling and know you're almost certainly going to pick up wins?

It's comical when you think about it... Our situation is equivalent to a school like Washington State getting home/home series with Ohio State, Alabama, and Texas yet totally incapable of getting games with Nevada, San Jose State, and Tulane. It's actually TOUGHER in most cases to line up a series with the big hitters than it is the cupcakes.

 

[ewueagle2010]

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/athlon-sports-fcs-preseason-top-25-2016

12. Eastern Washington
(6-5, 5-3 Big Sky)
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp, the 2015 Walter Payton Award Winner, has 58 total TDs in his career. But for the Eagles to rebound from a subpar season, quarterback Jordan West needs more consistency and the defense must tighten for — gulp — an opening stretch of Washington State, North Dakota State and Northern Iowa.

Also ranked:

North Dakota #15
Montana #16
Portland State #21
Northern Arizona #24

I think the Eags have top 10 talent, but the schedule is daunting. I think they very well could be the best team in the conference but COULD miss the playoffs.

Agree. I don't doubt Eastern has top 10 talent, but the AD has really stacked the deck against the team. I still can't understand the logic in making a schedule like this one, especially when breaking in an all-new OL. We could conceivably be a really good team, but essentially out of the playoffs before the end of September.

Gotta be honest, I'm really struggling with how our AD manages things. Chaves seems like a nice man, and clearly he does a great job hiring and retaining coaching talent. But our schedules and facilities are poor and seem to be getting worse, not better.

Football aside, the basketball team played ONE division I team at home last year. If you include a home game against Pepperdine (for which Eastern lost a good amount of money), the total was two.

Your arguement is very sound in that there can be too tough of a schedule. I am against playing 2 FBS games in a year because they are tough to win and they are always road games, but I don't mind playing tough non-conference FCS games because they are home and home. As a season ticket holder I am stoked that we get UNI and Griz at home this year, and NDSU and MSU next year. That is a great pair of home games!!! I'm fine with tough home and home games, it is the FBS road games that I don't care for.

The problem is with 2 home and home FCS games and 1 FBS game every year, we only get 5 home games a year. Big FCS schools would NEVER do that. When was the last time UM or MSU or NDSU only had 5 home games in one season? Dopa makes a good point, we don't schedule well. Our schedule is brutal next year...I get playing great teams at home, but I'd rather play teams at home in December and schedules like this nearly prevent it.

We need to pay bad FCS schools to come here for a game or play a D2, i would rather that than having a brutal schedule to start year in, year out. The last time we played 6 home games in an 11 game season was 2010...that worked out pretty well, even though one of our home games was in Seattle.

I don't even think paying bad FCS teams is necessary... Let's just do home-home with them instead of the best teams of the Southland or MVC. Why approach NDSU, UNI, and Sam Houston State and hope for a split when you can get Morehead State, Houston Baptist, or Grambling and know you're almost certainly going to pick up wins?

It's comical when you think about it... Our situation is equivalent to a school like Washington State getting home/home series with Ohio State, Alabama, and Texas yet totally incapable of getting games with Nevada, San Jose State, and Tulane. It's actually TOUGHER in most cases to line up a series with the big hitters than it is the cupcakes.

I get what you're saying, however, we are much closer to being an Ohio State, Alabama, and Texas equivalent of the FCS to FBS than that of Washington State. :lol:

 

[LDopaPDX]

I understand we are closer to an Ohio State of the FCS than a Washington State. That's what makes it comical... Ohio State can offer a home/home to ANYONE and get it. Teams of smaller stature would go nuts to have a chance to bring Ohio State to their place--- even if it meant getting destroyed.

However, our scheduling makes it seem like all we can get are the best of the best. I mean, seriously, when was the last time we played a non-con FCS opponent that wasn't a contender to make the playoffs? Every non-con opponent we schedule has a great shot at beating us. While Chaves makes these kind of schedules, North Dakota State is feasting on the likes of Delaware State and St. Francis. And they only play them in Fargo.

Why on Earth don't we go to these same types of teams and offer home-home arrangements? When the hell is Bucknell, Marist, or North Carolina A&T going to get someone of our caliber into their home stadiums? That would be a huge get for them. And the likely win that comes with it is incredibly value for Eastern.

 

[Go Eags Forever]

I don’t necessarily blame Chaves for the scheduling. EWU is in a pretty unique situation that makes scheduling non-conference games difficult, especially now that we’re a perennial Top 15 team. While I agree in that I’d prefer an easier schedule, we have to look at it from other school’s perspective to understand the barriers of scheduling at EWU. Sure, playing Delaware St. or Grambling St. would be easier games, but those schools often don’t have the travel budgets of NDSU or UNI. Let’s say you’re the AD at Grambling State. You simply can’t afford to make west coast trips for non-conference games, and EWU doesn’t have the coin to pay for a trip out to Cheney. EWU can’t offer the type of $$$ that a Montana or NDSU can to get non-conference games to come to them.

Further, even if you DID have the money and wanted to go west for a game or a home/home, why wouldn’t you go play Northern Colorado or Idaho State where you’d have a chance to compete?

Additionally, let’s say you had the money AND wanted to play a good team in the west. Now, you’re much more likely to try to schedule UM, MSU, etc. for the experience your kids will get playing in front of 20,000 people. That’s tough to swallow for us EWU folks, sure. But it’s the way it is. I’d love to have a patsy schedule and skate into the playoffs every year, but with our current situation, it’s a lot easier said than done.

The good news is that you can never count out a Baldwin-led team. I’m confident we’ll find a way against NDSU and/or UNI and scratch our way into the playoffs again this year. It’ll be difficult…but since when have we ever preferred to do things easy in Cheney :thumb:

 

[clawman1]

I don’t necessarily blame Chaves for the scheduling. EWU is in a pretty unique situation that makes scheduling non-conference games difficult, especially now that we’re a perennial Top 15 team. While I agree in that I’d prefer an easier schedule, we have to look at it from other school’s perspective to understand the barriers of scheduling at EWU. Sure, playing Delaware St. or Grambling St. would be easier games, but those schools often don’t have the travel budgets of NDSU or UNI. Let’s say you’re the AD at Grambling State. You simply can’t afford to make west coast trips for non-conference games, and EWU doesn’t have the coin to pay for a trip out to Cheney. EWU can’t offer the type of $$$ that a Montana or NDSU can to get non-conference games to come to them.

You get it, he doesn't.

 

[LDopaPDX]

I don’t necessarily blame Chaves for the scheduling. EWU is in a pretty unique situation that makes scheduling non-conference games difficult, especially now that we’re a perennial Top 15 team. While I agree in that I’d prefer an easier schedule, we have to look at it from other school’s perspective to understand the barriers of scheduling at EWU. Sure, playing Delaware St. or Grambling St. would be easier games, but those schools often don’t have the travel budgets of NDSU or UNI. Let’s say you’re the AD at Grambling State. You simply can’t afford to make west coast trips for non-conference games, and EWU doesn’t have the coin to pay for a trip out to Cheney. EWU can’t offer the type of $$$ that a Montana or NDSU can to get non-conference games to come to them.

Further, even if you DID have the money and wanted to go west for a game or a home/home, why wouldn’t you go play Northern Colorado or Idaho State where you’d have a chance to compete?

Additionally, let’s say you had the money AND wanted to play a good team in the west. Now, you’re much more likely to try to schedule UM, MSU, etc. for the experience your kids will get playing in front of 20,000 people. That’s tough to swallow for us EWU folks, sure. But it’s the way it is. I’d love to have a patsy schedule and skate into the playoffs every year, but with our current situation, it’s a lot easier said than done.

The good news is that you can never count out a Baldwin-led team. I’m confident we’ll find a way against NDSU and/or UNI and scratch our way into the playoffs again this year. It’ll be difficult…but since when have we ever preferred to do things easy in Cheney :thumb:

Yes, but this isn't what I'm talking about... I'm not suggesting we should pay these teams to travel in a one-off; those are the kind of games NDSU schedules. I'd say we give them a home-home. Why not go get an NEC team or Pioneer team? They have no chance of getting a big hitter in their home stadium without a home-home arrangement, and we could offer that. I guarantee you Montana and NDSU wouldn't green light that type of road game. But for us, it makes sense. It would ultimately be profitable to some extent and get us two likely valuable wins.

Keep in mind, Chavez signed on to a one-off road game at South Dakota for a mere $50k. I can't even grasp logic in that type of thinking. We'd have done better just bringing in a D-2 team if need be, because that's more along the lines of what a d2 costs. And it would have been a profitable venture instead of netting out zero for a road game (and a loss, which kept us at 6-5 and out of the playoffs). Why on Earth would we sell ourselves for that price, coming off a National Championship while only playing four home games, no less?

 

[Go Eags Forever]

True - although I just think we're limited on opponents geographically for patsy home/home games. Pioneer/NEC teams can schedule a number of attractive FCS teams for home/home games, and not have to travel all the way to Cheney (most likely to get beat). Take Drake for instance - they can get on a bus and play nearly any of the MVFC teams, and then get a great crowd for their end of the home/home. Or, in the NEC, Wagner could schedule Stony Brook or another CAA team and stay on the east coast.

 

[LDopaPDX]

True - although I just think we're limited on opponents geographically for patsy home/home games. Pioneer/NEC teams can schedule a number of attractive FCS teams for home/home games, and not have to travel all the way to Cheney (most likely to get beat). Take Drake for instance - they can get on a bus and play nearly any of the MVFC teams, and then get a great crowd for their end of the home/home. Or, in the NEC, Wagner could schedule Stony Brook or another CAA team and stay on the east coast.

Good example on Drake, because Montana State brought them in for a home/home arrangement a few years back. Another example: East Tennessee State. These guys are/were (might have changed) FCS independent last year. Montana State brought them in last year; I can only imagine where we could have gone by offering them a home/home. Montana State has Bryant coming in this year, and I suspect that is a one-off. Again, we could do the same by simply offering home/home splits. And that would be a revenue driver for those teams as they'd be split when coming to Cheney.

As for the geographical problem, that is definitely an issue. However, it is negated to some degree by the fact we are 15 minutes from an international airport. That is a HUGE benefit, as pretty much any major city in the US is no more than two commercial flights from Spokane. Compare that to Bozeman, Grand Forks, or Pocatello.

In short, yes, we have unique challenges. But the story isn't as bad as our scheduling makes it out to be. You think we were complete paupers having to schedule anyone who calls us on the phone. This hasn't been the case historically, and there is no reason why it should be the case now. Yet every year, the schedules get worse and worse.

 

[EWURanger]

Unless you're Montana and to a lesser extent, MSU, scheduling out West is always going to be problematic. Just seems like next year is particularly so. Don't think we've had a more difficult schedule in all the years I've been following the program. As brutal as next year is, I think I'd still rather play the schedule we have over a DII filler game. Especially in an 11 game season.

Even in a 12 game season I think I'd still see us play a second money game. A schedule similar to what we had in 2012 is ideal, but since Idaho is going to the Big Sky that's not likely to happen again.

 

[Seattle Eagle]

North Dakota at 15? What do they know that we don't? Have them improved that much?

 

[ewueagle2010]

North Dakota at 15? What do they know that we don't? Have them improved that much?

Several "experts" have picked North Dakota to win the Big Sky this year...

 

[360Eag]

North Dakota at 15? What do they know that we don't? Have them improved that much?

Well they weren't projected to do much last year and wound up with a 7-4 record including an FBS win. Plus, Santiago looked amazing last season running the ball.