Eastern Michigan gets a home breather before the MAC grind starts, and Lindenwood is walking into Ypsilanti still trying to prove it belongs on the field with FBS teams.
Bush’s Picks
LINEMU
LINEMU
OverUnder
Best BetEastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan is the far more established program here, and Noah Kim's return alone should be enough to separate an FBS roster from an FCS visitor. Lindenwood is still building its Division I identity and is breaking in a new starting quarterback in a tough road spot. Backing the Eagles to win outright is the low-variance play in a game with this much of a class gap.
Lindenwood
+Steve Hall, 2024 league Freshman of the Year, back healthy
+Won 3 of last 4 games to end 2025
+Defense has 3 OVC-recognized players to watch
−Breaking in new QB after Glantz graduated
−Second FBS road trip this month, tall task
−FCS jump in overall talent and depth
Eastern Michigan
+Noah Kim returns after leading MAC in passing yards
+Home game at Rynearson Stadium against lesser competition
+Talent and depth edge as the FBS host
−Finished just 4-8 in 2025
−Defense was inconsistent for much of last season
This one's about level of competition as much as anything else. Eastern Michigan is coming off a rough 4-8 season but returns the guy who made it watchable: quarterback Noah Kim threw for 2,817 yards last year, led the entire MAC, and was responsible for 24 total touchdowns. A full offseason with him back under center gives the Eagles a real building block heading into Saturday, September 26.
Lindenwood is the new-money story here. The Lions are only a few years into their Division I climb, they play in the OVC-Big South at the FCS level, and this is their second trip to face an FBS opponent this September after a trip to Missouri State. That's a lot of talent gap to close in one month, and it shows why games like this exist on Eastern Michigan's schedule in the first place — a chance to bank a win and get bodies extra reps before conference play tightens up.
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LIN Lindenwood
EMU Eastern Michigan
Where Lindenwood can make it interesting is on the ground. Running back Steve Hall was the OVC-Big South's Freshman of the Year back in 2024, and even though injuries limited him some last season, he still put up 612 yards and 8 touchdowns. If the Lions can lean on him and shorten the game, they at least give themselves a puncher's chance against a bigger, faster roster.
Lindenwood Lions
Sep 12?@ Missouri State—
Eastern Michigan Eagles
Sep 19?@ Wisconsin—
Sep 12?@ Michigan State—
Sep 4?vs San José State—
Aug 29?vs Sacramento State—
Recent form.
The bigger question for Lindenwood is who's throwing the ball. Former quarterback Nate Glantz is gone after graduating, which means whoever wins that job walks into one of the toughest environments on the schedule with essentially no track record against this level of competition. Eastern Michigan's defense, shaky as it was during a 4-8 campaign, should still be sturdier than most people the Lions have lined up against so far.
Lindenwood isn't devoid of playmakers on the other side of the ball either — the OVC tabbed Andrew Zook, Jacob Waller and Carter Johnson as defensive players to watch this fall. That group will need a big day if the Lions want to keep this from getting out of hand early against Kim and an Eastern Michigan offense that finished three of its last four 2025 games strong.
