The Eastern Michigan Eagles and San Jose State Spartans both played in Week 0 and are now facing off in Week 1. The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
The Eagles are listed as 3-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 56.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and best bet for this Week 1 matchup.
Eastern Michigan vs. San Jose State prediction, preview
Eastern Michigan Preview
It was a professional effort by Eastern Michigan in Week 0. They hosted Sacramento State in a MAC conference game to start the season and controlled the game from start to finish, winning 28-17. Chris Creighton is a veteran head coach who has brought real stability to this program over the years. Creighton returned his quarterback from last season, Noah Kim. Kim played very well in Week 0, looking like a veteran quarterback who should be one of the best in the MAC this season. Eastern Michigan has a chance to make a run at the MAC title if they can build off that Week 0 performance.
San Jose State Preview
San Jose State did not have as positive a Week 0 performance. Granted, San Jose State had an infinitely more difficult opponent, traveling to USC to take on the Trojans. The final score doesn’t look as bad for the Spartans as the actual game was. USC won 42-26, but San Jose State scored 23 of those points in the fourth quarter. At the end of three quarters, USC led 35-3 and then pulled most of its starters. At that point, San Jose State went on a run and took advantage of the Trojans’ backups to make the game look better on the scoreboard. This is a much more winnable game for the Spartans, but it will be a second straight road test early in the season.
Eastern Michigan vs. San Jose State Pick
My best bet is for Eastern Michigan to cover the short three-point spread as favorites against San Jose State. Noah Kim looked excellent at quarterback last week. Meanwhile, San Jose State had no answers for Jayden Maiava and the USC passing game last week. Of course, Kim is not on Maiava’s level, and the EMU skill position players are not on the same level as USC’s, but it should still be a struggle for the Spartans to slow them down.
Both of these teams played last Saturday and are now on a short week. While it’s still so early in the season, it’s always nice to be the home team on a short week. After such a tough game against USC, San Jose State has to head halfway across the country on a short week to face this very experienced team. The Eagles should get the win and cover the short spread.
