Eastern Illinois

1-2

OVC · O'Brien Stadium · 10,000 · 6,971 avg in 2026

The nationunrankedAP / Coaches
The marketno line yetat Illinois State · our model 4% Eastern Illinois · a number, not a pick

LastL 35–42 vs Indiana State · Sat Sep 12 · Cole LaCrue 267 pass yds, 3 TD, 65 rush yds

Nextat Illinois State · Sat Sep 19 · 3 pm ET · Hancock Stadium · series 12-22, lost the last 2 · Game preview

Updated Tue Sep 15 · through week 2

Eastern Illinois · 2026 schedule & results1-2
WkDateUsOppLineOpponentResultRecordConf
1Aug 27#249#254+4.5@Murray StateW 28–141-00-0
1Sep 4#249#29+42.5@MinnesotaL 7–59 1141-10-0
2Sep 12#202#232+3Indiana StateL 35–421-20-0
3Sep 19#237#92@Illinois State
4Sep 26#237#100@South Dakota State
6Oct 10@Gardner-Webb
7Oct 17Lindenwood
8Oct 24Southeast Missouri State
9Oct 31@UT Martin
10Nov 7Western Illinois
11Nov 14@Tennessee State
12Nov 21Charleston Southern
Advanced box score (EPA, success rate, explosiveness)
DateOppResultYdsTOTOPEPA/playSuccess%Explosive%Note
Sep 12Indiana StateL 35–42+0.27448.6%157.4%Season-high EPA/play
Sep 4@MinnesotaL 7–59110023:39-0.38410.9%165.8%Season-low EPA/play
Aug 27@Murray StateW 28–14+0.18339.4%128.8%Best defensive stand
Season average (3 games)1100.0+0.02432.9%150.7%
Verdict Begins·Live

Eastern Illinois is the historic Ohio Valley Panther program that fell from I-AA relevance into a decade of rebuilding, and whose fanbase is waiting for the resurgence.

Standard GapA historic FCS program with playoff history and OVC titles vs a modern r…

Eastern Illinois was a fixture in FCS playoff conversations in the late 2000s and 2010s, but the program has spent recent years in the basement of the OVC-Big South, going 3-9 in 2…

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Read the full program story ↓

The season in chapters

What fans said

L 35–42 vs Indiana State

Eastern Illinois fans

Real posts from the day of the game, chosen by community score · usernames not shown

What it is like to watch them2025 · 3-9 · last season

Game feel47even gamescombined pts / game6th highest-scoring of 9 in the OVC-Big South
Heart rate1-2some dramain one-score games (3 of 12)7th most one-score games of 9 in the OVC-Big South
Margin-11.7competitiveavg scoring margin7th best margin of 9 in the OVC-Big South
Big plays1.18grind it outexplosiveness (IsoPPP)8th most explosive of 9 in the OVC-Big South
Home crowd4,863avg attendance4th biggest crowds of 9 in the OVC-Big South

✓ measured from 12 games · ranks are among OVC-Big South teams the same season

Recent form · last 10 games · incl. 2025

Eastern Illinois has won one of its last five.

Cold. 1-9 over the last 10, and lost the last two.

Streak L2Last 5 · 1-4Last 10 · 1-9
The forecast

Next Sep 19

vs Illinois State · away

Outcome band · Eastern Illinois · 2026

Eastern Illinois' most likely season is 1-11 — mid-table finish. The floor is 0-12; the ceiling is 4-8.

Floor0-12Sub-.500 season. Playoff bid out of reach.
Base1-11Mid-table finish. Conference title a stretch.
Ceiling4-8Conference title race. Playoff bid in play.

No season-path projection for this program yet, so this is last season's record with a two-win swing down and a three-win swing up, over a 12-game frame.

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Game dayWhat a Saturday in this stadium actually feels like.
The experience

Eastern Illinois is the historic Ohio Valley Panther program that fell from I-AA relevance into a decade of rebuilding, and whose fanbase is waiting for the resurgence.

Offseason movesEvery addition and subtraction since the last snap.

The Offseason Ledger · Eastern Illinois

1 verified update · portal · recruiting · staff · news
  1. News

    Charles Kellom: 19 car · 171 yds · 3 TD at Murray State

    Top 1% rushing yards game since 2021. at Murray State (FCS) W 28-14.

    Aug 27
Recruiting buzzWhat fans say about the incoming class right now.

Community pulse

No high-engagement r/cfb discussions tracked for this program in the last year.

CFB Zeitgeist · team-pages synth v1.0 “Go Panthers.”
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