Michigan MAC Coach Tabbed By ESPN As Next in Line For a Big Job

Michigan football is never one to disappoint. Whether you cheer on the Blue or Green primarily, surely you have some ties to one of the three MAC programs. If your Big Ten program is down, chances are, your MAC school could be up.

That, of course, wasn't always the case for the Eastern Michigan Eagles. EMU has long been a program of struggle and strife as an FBS program. Their all-time record is 493-624-47. Between 1995 and 2016, the Eagles posted one non-losing season, going 6-6 in 2011.

It's been tough sledding for a long time. But in recent years, things have looked up for the other Michigan team in green.

Head coach Chris Creighton was hired in 2014 and brought Eastern its first winning season in 20 years two years later. He has since taken the Eagles to six bowl games, including just the second bowl win in program history in 2022. That was the Eagles' first bowl win in 35 years, which was also the only postseason appearance for Eastern prior to 2014.

Under Creighton, the Eagles have surged. They've renovated a unique stadium, named the field after a current NFL superstar, signed an ironically famous recruit, and are already halfway to bowl eligibility in 2024.

In the coaching world, success brings opportunity. After 10 years of steady growth and unprecedented success, Creighton could see opportunity knock soon.

ESPN laid out the coaching landscape in college football, pointing out the programs with the most likely candidates to take the next step in their coaching journey. Creighton was listed among the coaches "Worth keeping an eye on" in the G6 programs to take that next step. ESPN's Adam Rittenberg doesn't rule out that next job being a head coaching job at a Power 4 program.

He's maybe the best example of a coach who has done exceptional work under the radar and should be getting more recognition. Creighton isn't the flashiest candidate, but he knows how to do more with less and has brought once-unthinkable consistency to Eastern Michigan... He would be a good fit at Iowa State if Matt Campbell moves on, and should be considered for certain Big 12 and Big Ten jobs. "He's a world-class guy, it just seems like every year he's 7-5 or 8-4," an industry source said. "But Creighton's the only one that's had success at Eastern Michigan."

That is some hefty praise for Creighton, whose contract runs through 2025.

Surely, there is one last thing Creighton could do at Eastern Michigan before taking that big time job - win the MAC. The Eagles haven't won the MAC since 1987. In-state rivals Central Michigan and Western Michigan have both won the MAC multiple times since then.

Winning the MAC in 2024 is a bigger opportunity than ever. After finishing their non-conference schedule at 3-1 with the loss being a respectable 21-point loss to Washington, EMU could run the table and finish with an 12-1 record, win the conference and find themselves in the conversation for the final seed of the expanded College Football Playoffs.

It's a long shot, but nothing is impossible. Especially when the guy calling the shots is doing things with an Eagles program nobody thought possible just 10 years ago.