NOTE: Here is another in my series of 2007 team previews of teams from my home state of Michigan. Still on deck are previews of Michigan State and the Detroit Lions. Can an Eastern Michigan team that finished 1-11 in 2006 fall any further? Yes, yes they can. To some eyes it seemed like EMU head coach Jeff Genyk had things pointed in the right direction in 2005. That season the Eagles lost four games by a total of 7 points en route to a 4-7 mark. Just turn those close ones around and you've got a winning record, right? No, not even close. In 2006 the quarterback situation became a disaster, and the defense kept up the school’s recent tradition of not coming remotely close to stopping anyone’s offense. All of the so-called positive strides made in 2005 were wiped away. Some will point to EMU's 2006 results and note that six of EMU's eleven losses were by 8 points or less. Don't get fooled; the Eagles stink, and they might just be worse this season. They lost more than 50% of reciever production with the graduation of Trumaine Riley and Eric Deslauriers. Deslauriers was the most prolific WR in school history and owns school records for catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. That is an impressive resume for a guy who had bad work habits his first two seasons. He was the Eagles' only legitimate deep threat, and there is no one on this roster who can take his place in 2007. Let's give you an idea of just how bad the talent level is down at the bottom of Div I. Deslauriers didn't get drafted by the NFL this spring. That isn't a big deal; with a draft of only seven rounds plenty of decent college players don't get drafted. Undrafted players make NFL rosters and especially practice squads all the time. Deslauriers and a bunch of other no-names were signed as rookie free agents by the Pittsburgh Steelers on April 30. So is the guy still sticking with the Steelers? Umm, no. He's been cut already. In fact, he was cut a while ago. On June 28. The guy who owns the EMU receiving record book ain't good enough to even make it to an NFL training camp. You may have noticed that I haven't yet mentioned any players on the 2007 EMU roster. That's because it isn't necessary. Outside of the punter Zach Johnson, they are almost all pretty bad. Johnson is on the Preseason Ray Guy Watch List for the nation's top punter. That's right; the best player on the 2007 EMU roster is the punter. Isn't that all you really need to know? So let's talk about the coaching staff instead. Jeff Genyk has had a hard time at EMU assembling a good group of assistants. Over the years he's had a number of coaching prospects actually refuse job offers to come to EMU. As a result Genyk has been forced to hire a lot of youngsters looking for their first job. Not their first coaching job necessarily. Their first real job PERIOD. Of the entire 2006 coaching staff, SEVEN guys had received their sheepskins in this century(2000 or later). I'm not going to canvas the entire Div I coaching ranks to verify this, but I think its safe to say that EMU has the youngest group in the country, and its showing on the field. Now that I've established that EMU will stink in 2007, the question to answer is can you make money betting on Eastern Michigan in 2007? After all, the Eagles were 6-6 ATS in in 2006. If Sophmore QB Andy Schmitt stays healthy, and Junior RB Tyler Jones develops into a decent MAC-level runner, the Eagles might flash a buy sign with the right setup. Genyk will certainly have his charges up to play Northwestern at Ford Field in Detroit on October 19. Genyk was a Northwestern assistant before being hired at EMU. These two teams met in 2006, with EMU getting the cover by holding the Wildcats to just 14 points AT Northwestern. That was probably the Eagles' best defensive performance in Genyk's tenure. The Ford Field game is a great recruiting tool for EMU, so you can count on a good effort. The other game that might set up well for EMU would be the season-ender at Central Michigan. Genyk feels that CMU and EMU should be natural rivals and has had his team jacked up to play the Chippewas in each of the past 3 seasons. As a result all of those games went to overtime, something that has not happened anywhere else in Div I over that time. But other than those two games, if you have reason to bet on EMU in 2007 it will likely be because you are betting AGAINST Eastern's opponent.
 

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