College Football: Group of 5 Week 4 power rankings
By Zach Bigalke
Eastern Michigan? Yes, the team even Deadspin felt like covering in the preseason is right in the thick of a wide-open MAC West race this year. The Eagles are 2-0 for the first time since 2011 and only the second time in the past three decades. They sat out this past weekend on a bye after taking down Rutgers 16-13 in Week 2. Like Navy, this one was completely intentional after their first of two Power Five showdowns.
Eastern Michigan has an even bigger statement game at the end of September. The Eagles head south to face SEC East sleeper Kentucky on September 30. Eastern Michigan has to get through its MAC opener at home against Ohio. But if EMU can survive that visit from the Bobcats, it is possible that the Eagles and Wildcats will be undefeated when they meet in Lexington on the final weekend of September.
Teams like Toledo, Northern Illinois, and Western Michigan have all stood in Eastern Michigan’s way over the years as the Eagles have languished near the bottom of the division. Could this be the year that Chris Creighton’s EMU squad takes a giant leap from afterthought to conference contender?