(12-18-2018 10:37 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(12-17-2018 08:36 PM)TheWoodenNickle Wrote:  

(12-17-2018 07:47 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  

(12-17-2018 04:45 PM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Nickle,
Don't count on it. We never get a beak on MAC scheduling. It is too bad that we have so many games away at the beginning of the season, but that's what happens with scheduling the big boys.

Ken, my friend you are so right.

I truly hate those "payday" games we travel against the Power 5 but they are a necessity due to the money we get to show up. Those games against Illinois and Kentucky are going to pay for a lot of steel being hung on the north side of Rynearson.

We were, however, fortunate that this year we were not involved in the ESPN "MACTION" games that occur during the week in frigid November. I am fairly certain that next year we will be included in the crowd killing MACTION party. Perhaps the MAC will give us a break as a result and load us with some easier home games on the front end of the schedule as it would be fair. But like you say, I doubt it.

Like you guys, I don't trust the MAC. It would be nice if conference schedule were not so front-loaded for Eastern. Sprinkle Kent, CMU, BSU, and Akron throughout the schedule.

I'm sure they do that so NIU and Toledo and WMU are playing each other late in the year - on weeknights to make E$PN happy. Sucks for us too. We haven't played Toledo on a Saturday in close to a decade. I believe that's the case with NIU and WMU also.

Last time Toledo and Northern met on a Saturday was 2009. Toledo and Western, 2014.

(12-18-2018 11:21 AM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  

(12-18-2018 10:37 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(12-17-2018 08:36 PM)TheWoodenNickle Wrote:  

(12-17-2018 07:47 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  

(12-17-2018 04:45 PM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Nickle,
Don't count on it. We never get a beak on MAC scheduling. It is too bad that we have so many games away at the beginning of the season, but that's what happens with scheduling the big boys.

Ken, my friend you are so right.

I truly hate those "payday" games we travel against the Power 5 but they are a necessity due to the money we get to show up. Those games against Illinois and Kentucky are going to pay for a lot of steel being hung on the north side of Rynearson.

We were, however, fortunate that this year we were not involved in the ESPN "MACTION" games that occur during the week in frigid November. I am fairly certain that next year we will be included in the crowd killing MACTION party. Perhaps the MAC will give us a break as a result and load us with some easier home games on the front end of the schedule as it would be fair. But like you say, I doubt it.

Like you guys, I don't trust the MAC. It would be nice if conference schedule were not so front-loaded for Eastern. Sprinkle Kent, CMU, BSU, and Akron throughout the schedule.

I'm sure they do that so NIU and Toledo and WMU are playing each other late in the year - on weeknights to make E$PN happy. Sucks for us too. We haven't played Toledo on a Saturday in close to a decade. I believe that's the case with NIU and WMU also.

Last time Toledo and Northern met on a Saturday was 2009. Toledo and Western, 2014.

If EMU continues to improve, I think they will be playing more weeknight games. But the schedule won't be as front loaded.

Dear Friends,
Future schedules have changed. Eastern will be at Missouri, and not Illinois for next year. We also have a four game series with Massachusetts beginning in 2020 and completed in 2023, and as a result of that, will not be playing Kentucky after the 2019 season. I don't know if Illinois and Kentucky wanted out of their contracts, or if it was Eastern, or all three wanted out.
Personally, I'm a bit disappointed by it all, but maybe we were going to get more money from Missouri. I know the money from Illinois wasn't that large, and Kentucky's third game was no payout at all, if I remember correctly.

Ken, were you looking at FBSchedlues.com for this information? If so, they recently moved 2019 out of the "future schedules" and into the current year category. It shows our 2019 schedule as the same (playing at Coastal Carolina, Kentucky, and Illinois). See here: https://fbschedules.com/eastern-michigan...-schedule/

The layout of their website has become more confusing. Only changes I see from that source are that we added two more games against UMass, as you said.

Dear FrankAnderson,
You are correct. Without looking carefully I assumed 2020 was 2019.