EIU Football Schedule Features Teams Ranked in Top 25

Eastern Illinois football will open the season Saturday, Sept. 1 at SEC member Arkansas with the game to be televised nationally on the SEC Network.

On Monday the Panthers were among a group of teams also receiving votes as the STATS Media FCS Top 25 preseason poll was released for the upcoming season.  The Panthers received six votes in the poll that had a number of teams in that group just outside the top 25.

The 2018 Eastern Illinois University football schedule will feature three teams that were ranked in the preseason top 25 with Jacksonville State ranked No. 6, Illinois State No. 21 and Austin Peay No. 22.  

EIU was 6-5 last season, 5-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference.  It marked the third straight winning season for the Panthers under head coach Kim Dameron who led EIU to a 2015 FCS playoff appearance among those three winning seasons.   EIU was picked to finish fourth in the OVC preseason poll released at football media day with the Panthers returning seven starters on both offense and defense.  Isaiah Johnson, Alexander Hollins and Mark Williams were all preseason All-OVC selections.

Season and single game tickets are now on sale for EIU football with the home opener on Saturday, Sept. 15 against Indiana State.  Tickets are available by calling 217-581-2106 or online at www.eiupanthertickets.com

North Dakota State was the preseason No. 1 with 151 first place votes followed by defending national champion James Madison in second with six first place votes.  South Dakota State, Sam Houston State and Kennesaw State rounded out the top five.  Jacksonville State was ranked sixth with New Hampshire, Weber State, Eastern Washington and Wofford in the top ten.

Samford was ranked 11th followed by Elon, Northern Iowa, North Carolina A&T, Delaware, Central Arkansas, McNeese State, Nicholls State, Villanova and Stony Brook in the top twenty.  Illinois State was 21st with Austin Peay, Furman, Montana and Youngstown State rounding out the poll.