No lines are posted for this one yet. The common opponents are the more useful guide anyway. Both teams lost at Ohio. Central Michigan lost there 31-14 and Eastern Michigan lost 24-20. Both also beat Akron, and that's where they split apart: the Chippewas won 41-17 at home, while the Eagles scraped out a 25-23 win on the road.
Central Michigan's latest loss stung. Against Miami (OH) the game had 7 lead changes, and the Chippewas were up 6 late before the RedHawks went 75 yards in 8 plays. D'Shawntae Jones finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run with 1:41 left, and Miami won 28-27. Before that came a 21-14 home loss to Western Michigan. Add the 3-52 beating at Miami (FL) and you get a team that can't blow anyone out but also can't close out the games it's in.
Eastern Michigan's skid looks a little different. The Eagles won 3 straight, beating Lindenwood, UMass and Akron, before Toledo ran over them 34-14 at home. Then came the 4-point loss in Athens. They're 3-2 in the MAC to Central Michigan's 1-3, so on paper the Eagles are the team still playing for something in the league. The question is how long the passing game holds up with this few healthy targets.
This is mostly a test of whether Eastern Michigan's offense can keep going without depth at receiver and tight end. If Poulos keeps putting up yards with backups catching the ball, the Eagles have the better conference record and the better recent form. If Flores is back and healthy, Central Michigan's offense showed against Miami that it can trade touchdowns with anyone in this league for 58 minutes. Over the final 2 minutes, it hasn't shown that yet.
