It’s a spot that Eastern Michigan’s football team knows too well, as for the third straight year EMU ranks last among the six teams in the Mid-American Conference West Division.
The Eagles have finished three consecutive years with a record of 2-10, but with second year head coach Chris Creighton at the helm the program is beginning to head in the right direction.
“When I look back on the last year, year and a half, it’s been hard but a good hard. It’s been awesome being here. I think we are absolutely making strides, taking strides.
“You know there’s the one measuring stick that everybody cares about and everybody looks at on Saturday afternoons in the fall," Creighton said, "we care about that as well, but in order for that to change, so many other things have to change. And we just feel as though we've taken significant strides."
In a preseason MAC poll estimating which team will win the conference, the Toledo Rockets received 11 votes to finish first, proceeded by Western Michigan who earned 8 votes, while the defending MAC West champions, Northern Illinois, garnered 4 votes.
| MAC WEST | MAC EAST |
| 1. TOLEDO (11) | 1. BOWLING GREEN (18) |
| 2. WESTERN MICHIGAN (8) | T-2. OHIO (2) |
| 3. NORTHERN ILLINOIS (4) | T-2. AKRON (1) |
| 4. BALL STATE | 4. UMASS (3) |
| 5. CENTRAL MICHIGAN (1) | 5. BUFFALO |
| 6. EASTERN MICHIGAN | 6. MIAMI OH |
| 7. KENT STATE | |
There seems to be no clear favorite to win the MAC West. Central Michigan came in fifth in the overall conference vote, but still received a first place vote, showing the unpredictability of the region.
The MAC East has a clear favorite in Bowling Green. The Falcons will start the 2015-2016 campaign as the defending divisional champions, and were able to gather 18 of the 24 votes in the preseason poll.
Eastern Michigan’s cross-divisional games consist of playing Massachusetts, Miami (OH) and Akron for the upcoming season.
Eastern Michigan's Football team opens the 2015-2016 season on September 5, 2015 at Rynearson Stadium against Old Dominion. It was announced by the university that the game will be broadcast on ESPN3, kick-off is set for 3 p.m.
