Here's a look at some facts about the Mid-America Classic between Illinois State and EIU
Illinois State and Eastern Illinois have been playing each other in football since Theodore Roosevelt was in office. The game is so special that it even has a name.
The two schools will meet for the 112th time on Saturday at 6 p.m. in Normal in the Mid-America Classic, the title given in 2012 to one of the longest-running rivalries in college football in the state.
Illinois State holds a 59-43-9 advantage in the series, which dates to 1901. Eastern won the last matchup, a 14-13 thriller on Sept. 16, 2023 in Charleston.
Prior to that, ISU had prevailed in five straight in the series, and had won 18 of the previous 24 meetings since 1998.
Both ISU and EIU have lost only to Big Ten opponents in 2024, as Eastern (1-2) dropped its season opener 45-0 at Illinois, then lost 31-7 last Saturday at Northwestern. The only defeat for Illinois State (2-1) was a 40-0 loss at Iowa in the season opener.
Both teams are expected to contend for FCS playoff berths this fall —Eastern Illinois just barely missed a playoff berth in 2023 and was picked second in the pre-season Ohio Valley Conference poll.
Illinois State plays in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, which has placed a team in the national title game for thirteen straight years. The MVFC has captured eleven of the last thirteen FCS championships.
How to The game will be televised on the Marquee Sports Network.
Did You Know? Both schools have supplied a remarkable amount of NFL talent. Eastern Illinois produced top-shelf quarterbacks Tony Romo and Jimmy Garoppolo, along with several current or former NFL head coaches in Sean Payton, Mike Shanahan, and Brad Childress.
Illinois State alums include former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, who is the current defensive coordinator in Dallas, and Joe Woods, the defensive backs coach for the Broncos in their Super Bowl title season of 2015. Brendan Daly, the linebackers coach for the Chiefs and an ISU staff member in 2004, has been a part of six Super Bowl title teams in New England in Kansas City.
Taking on the Alma Mater: Brock Spack, who is in his sixteenth year as ISU head coach, spent the 1987-90 seasons as an assistant at Eastern Illinois, where he earned a master's in physical education.
