2026 Week 3 - WIU vs Morehead State

Mon Sep 14, 2026 8:54 am

VS

Opponent: Moreahead State Eagles

Game Time: Saturday, September 19 at 6 PM

Location: Hanson Field, Macomb

Last Year: Morehead State went 6-6 overall, with a 4-6 record against FCS opponents, and a 4-4 record in the Pioneer League

This Year: The Eagles are 1-2 so far this year, with a 3OT loss to DII Ohio Dominican (42-40), a big win over NAIA Kentucky Christian (75-24) and a loss to their first FCS foe of the season, Austin Peay, to the tune of 63-7.

History: The Leathernecks and Eagles have faced off once, a 31-6 WIU victory in 2006.

Projections: Massey Ratings gives us a 90% chance of a victory, with a predicted score of 45-21. Sagarin says 94% chance of a win...with about a 46-18 score. I'm feeling better about this team after seeing how they played against Wisconsin (and seeing that Illinois State is the "real deal" against NIU), so I think this should be a pretty solid win for us.

This is also Family Day and Ag Day/BBQ Competition. Be sure to stop by the tailgate area early to get your fill of BBQ and other tasty treats. The Marching Leathernecks will also be joined on the field by parents and family members during halftime, so I'll be out there...just not with my usual trombone (that's being saved for Homecoming)...this game, I'm a color guard dad.

NewNeck · Mon Sep 14, 2026 1:00 pm

To tell you how little we know about the OVC yet this season, WIU ranks at the top of many stat catagories through 3 weeks....even after the last 2 weeks Lots of lopsided games and FBS foes early for FCS teams. https://ovcsports.com/stats.aspx?path=f ... &year=2026

Mon Sep 14, 2026 8:04 pm

NewNeck wrote: Mon Sep 14, 2026 1:00 pm To tell you how little we know about the OVC yet this season, WIU ranks at the top of many stat catagories through 3 weeks....even after the last 2 weeks Lots of lopsided games and FBS foes early for FCS teams. https://ovcsports.com/stats.aspx?path=f ... &year=2026

Yeah, it's pretty hard to tell unless you happen to luck into a matchup with a roughly "comparable" team. I think we won't really get that until North Alabama though.
For reference, Massey lists strength of schedule so far as one of the stats. OVC strength of schedule rankings (ranking numbers are for all of FCS) are as follows:
#8 - SEMO
#13 - Gardner-Webb
#39 - Charleston Southern
#44 - Eastern Illinois
#49 - Western Illinois
#53 - Lindenwood
#57 - UT Martin
#63 - TN State

So, you can compare that rough "difficulty ranking" to stats to get a very early idea of how well we might do against the other OVC teams.