Way Too Early Wisconsin Football Opponent Preview: Eastern Michigan

In today’s edition, I’ll be breaking down the Badgers’ final opponent before getting into the Big Ten matchups. This game against Eastern Michigan will be Wisconsin’s first game that isn’t a night kick-off.

Based on the first two articles in this series, I expect Wisconsin to enter this contest sitting at 1-1, with a loss to Notre Dame, and a blowout win over Western Illinois.

Like the Western Illinois game, this is another contest the Badgers should win comfortably, but the Eagles, out of the MAC, should offer more resistance than Western Illinois.

How 2025 ended

Eastern Michigan finished the 2025 season 4-8, with a 3-5 mark in conference play. It did win two of its final three contests, but regardless, it was a rough year which ended with no bowl game.

There were no Big Ten opponents on the Eagles schedule last season, but it did make one trip to a power-conference venue, taking on Kentucky in September. Eastern Michigan lost the contest 48-23, but Noah Kim threw for 330 yards.

Kim, who started his career in the Big Ten at Michigan State, will return in 2026, and that power-conference experience is worth noting for a Group of Five school looking for an upset in Madison.

One game against Kentucky over a year ago obviously doesn’t say much about how the upcoming meeting in Camp Randall will go, but the result is an indicator that Wisconsin needs to handle business.

Key losses

In 2025, two Eagles made the All-MAC Second Team offense. Tight end Joshua Long will return in 2026, but running back Dontae McMillan has moved onto a pro career. The tailback tallied just under 1,400 total yards from scrimmage in 2025, on 5.7 yards per carry.

While Kim is a veteran at quarterback, McMillan’s absence in the Eastern Michigan offense could lead to early-season struggles, which would benefit the Badgers.

Partially responsible for McMillan’s 2025 campaign was Wisconsin native Mickey Rewolinski on the offensive line. Rewolinski has now exhausted his eligibility and won’t have a homecoming game in Madison, but his departure may have an impact on the game.

Wisconsin will want to get after Kim and force him into tough throws, so the loss of his best offensive lineman from 2025 is worth noting here.

Dontae McMillan after a carry versus Kentucky. — Sep 13, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Eastern Michigan Eagles running back Dontae McMillan (28) celebrates after running the ball during the second quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Key additions

As I just mentioned, Eastern Michigan lost its best offensive lineman from a season ago, but that’s the exact position that intrigues me in terms of newcomers I’m keeping an eye on. And for this matchup, it’s not a single transfer or two I’ll be watching.

In the portal this offseason, the Eagles added five offensive linemen, three of which come from power-conference schools: Tyler McMillan via Illinois, Tyler Brumfield via Oklahoma State and Cole Dellinger via Michigan State.

Eastern Michigan will need to lean on Kim pushing the ball downfield to have a chance in this matchup, especially if it's playing from behind, so how the offensive line holds up in pass protection will be key for the Eagles if they don’t want things to get out of hand.

Albeit limited in game snaps, this offensive line has experience in power-conference programs, and will now have its chance to prove they can compete at that level in a game scenario.

2026 outlook

In a few different metrics, Eastern Michigan leads the MAC in continuity, and I’m a huge believer of continuity being correlated with success, especially in the Group of Five ranks.

Given where it finished in the conference in 2025, I don’t think the continuity alone will propel Eastern Michigan into contending for a MAC title, but I think it will finish at least a few spots higher than it did last season.

I’m especially intrigued by Kim and think he could be an All-MAC performer in 2026. He finally got a chance to throw a ton of passes in a season as an every-game starter and responded well. I expect his 18:11 touchdown to interception ratio to get even better this season.

You never know how a Group of Five league will look this far in advance, so maybe the Eagles surprise some people and compete for the title, but I think a fair expectation is for them to be a middle of the pack or upper-half of the MAC squad.

Prediction

Wisconsin 34, Eastern Michigan 10

I expect this game to be a little closer than the home-opener against Western Illinois, but it should still be a comfortable victory.

I think Kim and the offensive line’s power-conference experience will help Eastern Michigan put together a nice drive or two to put some points on the board, but I think Wisconsin establishes the run game once again and grabs control early.

All things considered, unless things get really ugly in Lambeau, I think most Badger fans would be content with two blowout wins at home and entering conference play at 2-1.

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