Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Announces Full 2023 Football Schedule
3/1/2023 11:00:00 AM | Football
For the first time since 2012, EMU will play three of its four October games at home
Complete Schedule | Purchase Season Tickets.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Featuring six home games for the 11th time since the turn of the century, Eastern Michigan University's complete 2022 football schedule was released Wednesday, March 1, by the Mid-American Conference. Tickets are on sale at EMUEagles.com/tickets, by calling 734.487.3669, or by visiting the EMU Ticket Office.
EMU, the defending MAC West Division co-champions, will play six games inside "The Factory" at Rynearson Stadium. Of those six contests, five will be played before the month of October concludes. Furthermore, Eastern will defend the gray turf for all but one game during the month of October. It marks the first such occurrence since the 2012 campaign.
On the flip side, the Eagles will play two of their last three contests on the road, as the schedule shifts to midweek and the phenomenon known worldwide as #MACtion. Overall, Eastern will play three games in a 24-day span with gaps of 11 (Oct. 28-Nov. 8), six (Nov. 8-14), and seven (Nov. 14-21) days between tilts.
Eastern Michigan concludes its 2023 regular season before Thanksgiving for the first time since 2017. With the exception of 2016 and 2017, Eastern Michigan has closed the season on "Black Friday" a total of 11 times since the MAC switched to its current scheduling model in 2008.
An updated version of the MAC's football schedule will be released in June with kick times and a television schedule for the first three weeks of the regular season and midweek games during November. All other game times and television appearances will be announced 12 days prior to the scheduled kick. Games will air on ESPN platforms (ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPN+/ESPN3) and CBS Sports Network.
Season tickets are on sale in anticipation of the fall. Eastern Michigan continues to offer the Ultimate Fan Season Ticket Plan for just $150. This package includes a wide chairback with armrests on the 50-yard line along with VIP season parking. Chairback Season Tickets are $120 and include a chairback in Reserved Sections 104-109.
Reserved season tickets are just $108 (Reserved Sections 104-109), while General Admission season tickets are $84 (Sections 110-114 and the visiting side).
EMU kicks off the year at home against Howard Friday, Sept. 1, before traveling to defending Pinstripe Bowl Champion, Minnesota, Sept. 9. It marks the first meeting against the Bison since 2013, while it marks the first time the Eagles and the Golden Gophers have tangled on the gridiron. EMU will be looking to improve on its 3-1 record against Big Ten Conference opponents since 2017 after previously downing Rutgers (16-13) in 2017, Purdue (20-19) in 2018, and Illinois (34-31) in 2019.
Eastern Michigan returns to Ypsilanti, Sept. 16, for a home date against Massachusetts. The non-conference schedule concludes Saturday, Sept. 23, with a trip to Jacksonville, Ala. to square off against Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks finished 2022 with a 9-2 record but will make the jump from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ranks as a member of Conference USA.
Eastern Michigan opens its 48th MAC season on the road at Central Michigan Saturday, Sept. 30. The longest-running rivalry between any two MAC schools, the meeting will mark the 101st on the gridiron for the two programs. Additionally, it will be just the fourth time the Eagles and Chippewas have lifted the lid on the conference slate. CMU holds a 2-1 edge in the previous three occurrences in 1994 (CMU, 30-29), 2005 (EMU, 23-20), and 2019 (CMU, 42-16).
Ball State, Oct. 7, and Kent State, Oct. 14, await 10-year Head Coach Chris Creighton and his team as the Eagles will play all but one game the entire month of October away from Rynearson Stadium. Eastern clipped the Cardinals a season ago in Muncie, 20-16, while the team used a 24-0 second-half spurt to seal the road victory, a 31-24 triumph over the Golden Flashes.
EMU treks to DeKalb, Ill., Oct. 21, to square off against Northern Illinois before returning to host Western Michigan, Oct. 28. The Green and White look to retain the Michigan MAC Trophy after sweeping CMU and WMU in 2022. EMU has bested Western in the most recent four meetings, including a 45-23 victory last season in Kalamazoo. The Eagles attempt to make another run at history, as they have never defeated the Broncos in five consecutive seasons.
The schedule shifts to the bright lights of national television and midweek affairs for the final three games.
Eastern Michigan dips across the Ohio border Wednesday, Nov. 8, to face off against Toledo. The two schools shared the MAC West Division tilt in 2022, but it was the Rockets advancing to the MAC's title game with late-game heroics in a 27-24 win in Ypsilanti. In 2021, Eastern Michigan fought back from a four-point halftime deficit to take down the Rockets, 52-49, in the Glass Bowl. It was the program's first win on the Rocket's home field since the 1999 season.
The home slate concludes Tuesday, Nov. 14, against Akron before the team wraps up the regular season Tuesday, Nov. 21, at Buffalo. Just once prior have the Eagles finished on the road in Buffalo, EMU prevailed in that contest, winning 38-14 to wind down the 2005 campaign, Nov. 19.
The 27th MAC Football Championship game will again take place in downtown Detroit on a date that is still to be determined. This will mark the 20th MAC Football Championship game at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, Super Bowl XL, and the 2009 NCAA Men's Final Four.
Eastern Michigan is flying high after winning the 2022 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, 41-27, over San Jose State, Dec. 20, in Boise, Idaho. It was the second postseason bowl game win for the program and its first since it defeated the same SJSU team in the 1987 California Bowl in Fresno, Calif. The Eagles finished the season with nine wins, the second-most in program history, and in addition to the Potato Bowl championship, also earned a co-MAC West Division title, and won the Michigan MAC trophy for the first time since 2012.
In the midst of one of the most successful runs in program history, Eastern Michigan has made a bowl game appearance five times since 2016, a number that ties for the most by any team in the Mid-American Conference. Additionally, the team has now played in bowl games in four consecutive seasons (excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign) for the first time in school history, while 13 EMU student-athletes, as of yesterday, became the first in program history to be part of four postseason bowl games in their respective careers.
The team returns to the gray turf for its first spring practice Monday, March 13. The session kicks off a string of 15 practice dates during a four-week period that culminates with the program's annual spring football game Friday, April 14, at 6:30 p.m.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Featuring six home games for the 11th time since the turn of the century, Eastern Michigan University's complete 2022 football schedule was released Wednesday, March 1, by the Mid-American Conference. Tickets are on sale at EMUEagles.com/tickets, by calling 734.487.3669, or by visiting the EMU Ticket Office.
EMU, the defending MAC West Division co-champions, will play six games inside "The Factory" at Rynearson Stadium. Of those six contests, five will be played before the month of October concludes. Furthermore, Eastern will defend the gray turf for all but one game during the month of October. It marks the first such occurrence since the 2012 campaign.
On the flip side, the Eagles will play two of their last three contests on the road, as the schedule shifts to midweek and the phenomenon known worldwide as #MACtion. Overall, Eastern will play three games in a 24-day span with gaps of 11 (Oct. 28-Nov. 8), six (Nov. 8-14), and seven (Nov. 14-21) days between tilts.
Eastern Michigan concludes its 2023 regular season before Thanksgiving for the first time since 2017. With the exception of 2016 and 2017, Eastern Michigan has closed the season on "Black Friday" a total of 11 times since the MAC switched to its current scheduling model in 2008.
An updated version of the MAC's football schedule will be released in June with kick times and a television schedule for the first three weeks of the regular season and midweek games during November. All other game times and television appearances will be announced 12 days prior to the scheduled kick. Games will air on ESPN platforms (ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPN+/ESPN3) and CBS Sports Network.
Season tickets are on sale in anticipation of the fall. Eastern Michigan continues to offer the Ultimate Fan Season Ticket Plan for just $150. This package includes a wide chairback with armrests on the 50-yard line along with VIP season parking. Chairback Season Tickets are $120 and include a chairback in Reserved Sections 104-109.
Reserved season tickets are just $108 (Reserved Sections 104-109), while General Admission season tickets are $84 (Sections 110-114 and the visiting side).
EMU kicks off the year at home against Howard Friday, Sept. 1, before traveling to defending Pinstripe Bowl Champion, Minnesota, Sept. 9. It marks the first meeting against the Bison since 2013, while it marks the first time the Eagles and the Golden Gophers have tangled on the gridiron. EMU will be looking to improve on its 3-1 record against Big Ten Conference opponents since 2017 after previously downing Rutgers (16-13) in 2017, Purdue (20-19) in 2018, and Illinois (34-31) in 2019.
Eastern Michigan returns to Ypsilanti, Sept. 16, for a home date against Massachusetts. The non-conference schedule concludes Saturday, Sept. 23, with a trip to Jacksonville, Ala. to square off against Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks finished 2022 with a 9-2 record but will make the jump from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ranks as a member of Conference USA.
Eastern Michigan opens its 48th MAC season on the road at Central Michigan Saturday, Sept. 30. The longest-running rivalry between any two MAC schools, the meeting will mark the 101st on the gridiron for the two programs. Additionally, it will be just the fourth time the Eagles and Chippewas have lifted the lid on the conference slate. CMU holds a 2-1 edge in the previous three occurrences in 1994 (CMU, 30-29), 2005 (EMU, 23-20), and 2019 (CMU, 42-16).
Ball State, Oct. 7, and Kent State, Oct. 14, await 10-year Head Coach Chris Creighton and his team as the Eagles will play all but one game the entire month of October away from Rynearson Stadium. Eastern clipped the Cardinals a season ago in Muncie, 20-16, while the team used a 24-0 second-half spurt to seal the road victory, a 31-24 triumph over the Golden Flashes.
EMU treks to DeKalb, Ill., Oct. 21, to square off against Northern Illinois before returning to host Western Michigan, Oct. 28. The Green and White look to retain the Michigan MAC Trophy after sweeping CMU and WMU in 2022. EMU has bested Western in the most recent four meetings, including a 45-23 victory last season in Kalamazoo. The Eagles attempt to make another run at history, as they have never defeated the Broncos in five consecutive seasons.
The schedule shifts to the bright lights of national television and midweek affairs for the final three games.
Eastern Michigan dips across the Ohio border Wednesday, Nov. 8, to face off against Toledo. The two schools shared the MAC West Division tilt in 2022, but it was the Rockets advancing to the MAC's title game with late-game heroics in a 27-24 win in Ypsilanti. In 2021, Eastern Michigan fought back from a four-point halftime deficit to take down the Rockets, 52-49, in the Glass Bowl. It was the program's first win on the Rocket's home field since the 1999 season.
The home slate concludes Tuesday, Nov. 14, against Akron before the team wraps up the regular season Tuesday, Nov. 21, at Buffalo. Just once prior have the Eagles finished on the road in Buffalo, EMU prevailed in that contest, winning 38-14 to wind down the 2005 campaign, Nov. 19.
The 27th MAC Football Championship game will again take place in downtown Detroit on a date that is still to be determined. This will mark the 20th MAC Football Championship game at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, Super Bowl XL, and the 2009 NCAA Men's Final Four.
Eastern Michigan is flying high after winning the 2022 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, 41-27, over San Jose State, Dec. 20, in Boise, Idaho. It was the second postseason bowl game win for the program and its first since it defeated the same SJSU team in the 1987 California Bowl in Fresno, Calif. The Eagles finished the season with nine wins, the second-most in program history, and in addition to the Potato Bowl championship, also earned a co-MAC West Division title, and won the Michigan MAC trophy for the first time since 2012.
In the midst of one of the most successful runs in program history, Eastern Michigan has made a bowl game appearance five times since 2016, a number that ties for the most by any team in the Mid-American Conference. Additionally, the team has now played in bowl games in four consecutive seasons (excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign) for the first time in school history, while 13 EMU student-athletes, as of yesterday, became the first in program history to be part of four postseason bowl games in their respective careers.
The team returns to the gray turf for its first spring practice Monday, March 13. The session kicks off a string of 15 practice dates during a four-week period that culminates with the program's annual spring football game Friday, April 14, at 6:30 p.m.
| Day | Date | Opponent | Location | Notes |
| Friday | Sept. 1 | HOWARD | Rynearson Stadium | Home Opener; EMU opens 132nd season of football |
| Saturday | Sept. 9 | at Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minn. | First meeting; EMU has won 3 of last 4 vs. Big Ten Conference |
| Saturday | Sept. 16 | MASSACHUSETTS | Rynearson Stadium | UMass returns to Ypsi for the second consecutive season |
| Saturday | Sept. 23 | at Jacksonville State | Jacksonville, Ala. | First meeting; Transitioning from the FCS to Conference USA |
| Saturday | Sept. 30 | at Central Michigan* | Mount Pleasant, Mich. | MAC Opener; Two teams have met 100 times in history |
| Saturday | Oct. 7 | BALL STATE* | Rynearson Stadium | 65th time that EMU and BSU will tangle on the gridiron |
| Saturday | Oct. 14 | KENT STATE* | Rynearson Stadium | KSU's first visit to Ypsilanti since 2019 |
| Saturday | Oct. 21 | at Northern Illinois* | DeKalb, Ill. | Five of the last seven meetings decided by one score |
| Saturday | Oct. 28 | WESTERN MICHIGAN | Rynearson Stadium | EMU seeks its fifth consecutive win over WMU |
| Wednesday | Nov. 8 | at Toledo* | Toledo, Ohio | #MACtion; EMU and Toledo shared the 2022 MAC West title |
| Tuesday | Nov. 14 | AKRON* | Rynearson Stadium | #MACtion; Final home game for EMU's 2023 Senior Class |
| Tuesday | Nov. 21 | at Buffalo* | Buffalo, N.Y. | #MACtion; Regular season concludes before Thanksgiving for first time since 2017 |
| Saturday | Dec. 2 | MAC Championship | Detroit, Mich. | Eagles look for first championship game appearance |
| *Mid-American Conference game; All home games in BOLD CAPS |
2023 MAC Football Composite Schedule
*Conference game
Saturday, Aug. 26
Ohio at San Diego State
Thursday, Aug. 31
Saint Francis at Western Michigan
Kent State at UCF
Friday, Sept. 1
Miami at Miami (FL)
Howard at Eastern Michigan
Saturday, Sept. 2
Ball State at Kentucky
Central Michigan at Michigan State
NIU at Boston College
Toledo at Illinois
Akron at Temple
Bowling Green at Liberty
Buffalo at Wisconsin
LIU at Ohio
Saturday, Sept. 9
Ball State at Georgia
New Hampshire at Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan at Minnesota
Southern Illinois at NIU
Texas Southern at Toledo
Western Michigan at Syracuse
Morgan State at Akron
Eastern Illinois at Bowling Green
Fordham at Buffalo
Kent State at Arkansas
Miami at UMass
Ohio at Florida Atlantic
Saturday, Sept.16
Indiana State at Ball State
Central Michigan at Notre Dame
UMass at Eastern Michigan
NIU at Nebraska
San Jose State at Toledo
Western Michigan at Iowa
Akron at Kentucky
Bowling Green at Michigan
Liberty at Buffalo
Central Connecticut State at Kent State
Miami at Cincinnati
Iowa State at Ohio
Saturday, Sept. 23
*Ohio at Bowling Green
*Western Michigan at Toledo
Georgia Southern at Ball State
Central Michigan at South Alabama
Eastern Michigan at Jacksonville State
Tulsa at NIU
Akron at Indiana
Buffalo at Louisiana
Kent State at Fresno State
Delaware State at Miami
Saturday, Sept. 30
*Ball State at Western Michigan
*Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan
*NIU at Toledo
*Buffalo at Akron
*Miami at Kent State
Bowling Green at Georgia Tech
Saturday, October 7
*Ball State at Eastern Michigan
*Central Michigan at Buffalo
*Bowling Green at Miami
*Kent State at Ohio
*NIU at Akron
Toledo at UMass
Western Michigan at Mississippi State
Saturday, Oct. 14
*Toledo at Ball State
*Akron at Central Michigan
*Bowling Green at Buffalo
*Kent State at Eastern Michigan
*Miami at Western Michigan
*Ohio at NIU
Saturday, Oct. 21
*Central Michigan at Ball State
*Eastern Michigan at NIU
*Toledo at Miami
*Western Michigan at Ohio
*Akron at Bowling Green
*Buffalo at Kent State
Saturday, Oct. 28
*Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan
*Miami at Ohio
Tuesday, Oct. 31
*NIU at Central Michigan
*Buffalo at Toledo
Wednesday, Nov. 1
*Ball State at Bowling Green
*Kent State at Akron
Tuesday, Nov. 7
*Ball State at NIU
*Central Michigan at Western Michigan
*Ohio at Buffalo
Wednesday, Nov. 8
*Eastern Michigan at Toledo
*Akron at Miami
*Bowling Green at Kent State
Tuesday, Nov. 14
*Toledo at Bowling Green
*Western Michigan at NIU
*Akron at Eastern Michigan
Wednesday, Nov. 15
*Central Michigan at Ohio
*Buffalo at Miami
Saturday, Nov. 18
*Kent State at Ball State
Tuesday, November 21
*Eastern Michigan at Buffalo
*Bowling Green at Western Michigan
Friday, Nov. 24
*Toledo at Central Michigan
*Ohio at Akron
Saturday, Nov. 25
*NIU at Kent State
*Miami at Ball State
Saturday, Dec. 2
MAC Football Championship Game (Detroit, Mich. – Ford Field)
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