San José State Spartans at Eastern Michigan Eagles
Fri Sep 4 · 5:30 PM CT
By Pablo SanchezUpdated 9d ago·2 min read
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San José State opens its season on the road against an Eastern Michigan team that actually knows who's throwing the ball. That gap alone makes this Week 1 opener worth watching.
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Best BetEastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan brings back a proven starter in Noah Kim, who led the MAC in passing a year ago, while San José State still hasn't settled its own quarterback race entering the opener. That continuity is worth backing on the moneyline, especially at home. San José State's only proven answer under center left for Duke, and a 3-way battle isn't the ideal starting point for a road trip to Michigan.
San José State
+Reached a bowl at 7-6 just one year ago
+Hawaii transfer Weaver has real starting experience
+Niumatalolo has already proven he can flip this roster
−Collapsed to 3-9 (2-6 MW) in 2025
−No returning starter after Eget left for Duke
−Unsettled 3-man QB battle for a true road opener
Eastern Michigan
+Noah Kim returns as the MAC's leading passer
+Top receiver and leading tight end both back
+O-line ranked 7th nationally in sacks allowed in 2025
−Finished just 4-8 (3-5 MAC) in 2025
−Lost 7 O-line starters to the transfer portal
−12th-year coach still chasing a breakthrough season
This is a Friday night season-opener for both programs on September 4, and it's really a story about one team that solved its quarterback problem and one that hasn't. Eastern Michigan brings back Noah Kim, who threw for more yards than anyone in the MAC a year ago. San José State is still sorting through a 3-man competition after Walker Eget, the QB who ran off a conference-record interception-free streak, transferred to Duke.
Hawaii transfer Luke Weaver has reportedly taken the early lead in that battle, with freshman Daniel Rolovich and redshirt-freshman Robert McDaniel also in the mix. None of them have started a game for San José State, which is a rough spot to be in for a true road opener against a team that returns its top two pass-catchers. Nick Devereaux, Eastern Michigan's top deep threat, and tight end Joshua Long, who led the Eagles with 37 catches, are both back to catch passes from Kim.
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SJSU San José State
EMU Eastern Michigan
Both teams are coming off losing seasons, though — Eastern Michigan finished 4-8 (3-5 MAC) and San José State collapsed to 3-9 (2-6 Mountain West) after a surprise 7-6 campaign and a Hawai'i Bowl trip in coach Ken Niumatalolo's first year. Niumatalolo has already shown he can flip this roster fast; the question is whether a rebuilt QB room can do it again with almost no returning experience under center.
San José State Spartans
Aug 29?@ USC—
Eastern Michigan Eagles
Aug 29?vs Sacramento State—
Recent form.
The bigger swing factor for Eastern Michigan might be up front. The Eagles' offensive line finished 7th nationally in fewest sacks allowed per game last season, but that group got gutted in the portal — 7 linemen left, and only center Nicholas Gallegos and tackle Joshua Anderson return as proven starters. If the rebuilt line holds up, Kim and his weapons should be able to pull away against a Spartans defense facing its own new starter at QB. If it doesn't, this stays a lot closer than a home opener against a team that just finished under .500 has any business being.
Neither team enters with much national buzz, but there's a real program-direction subplot here: Eastern Michigan's 12th-year coach Chris Creighton is trying to build off a MAC-best passing season, while Niumatalolo is trying to prove 2024 wasn't a fluke. Whoever settles their operation faster in September probably sets the tone for their whole year.
