Eastern Michigan vs. Western Michigan
Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan have 51 meetings on file, the first in 1974; Western Michigan leads the series 33–17–1 in the games on file. Over the last 10 meetings it’s Western Michigan 6–4, and Western Michigan has won the last 3. Share
- Eastern Michigan wins
- 17
- Western Michigan wins
- 33
- Ties
- 1
- Earliest on file
- 1974
- Longest streak
- 7 Western Michigan
- Current streak
- 3 Western Michigan
- Last 10 meetings
- Western Michigan 6–4
- Most recent
- 2025
The series at a glance
| ’0 | ’1 | ’2 | ’3 | ’4 | ’5 | ’6 | ’7 | ’8 | ’9 | W–L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1–4 | ||||||||||
| 1980s | 4–5–1 | ||||||||||
| 1990s | 3–7 | ||||||||||
| 2000s | 2–8 | ||||||||||
| 2010s | 4–6 | ||||||||||
| 2020s | 3–3 |
- Average margin
- 12.2 points; 24 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
- At Eastern Michigan
- 10–13–1 Eastern Michigan’s record at home
- At Western Michigan
- 19–7 Western Michigan’s record at home
- Neutral sites
- 0–1 Eastern Michigan first
- Shutouts
- 3
Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.
Games that tell the story
- Eastern Michigan’s biggest win2022: Eastern Michigan 45, Western Michigan 23by 22 points
- Western Michigan’s biggest win2014: Western Michigan 51, Eastern Michigan 7by 44 points
- Upset1974: Eastern Michigan 20, Western Michigan 19Eastern Michigan had a 15% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Upset2020: Eastern Michigan 53, Western Michigan 42Eastern Michigan had a 20% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Upset2012: Eastern Michigan 29, Western Michigan 23Eastern Michigan had a 25% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
Coach against coach
| Years | Eastern Michigan | Series | Western Michigan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978–1981 | Mike Stock | 0–4 | Elliot Uzelac |
| 1983–1986 | Jim Harkema | 2–2 | Jack Harbaugh |
| 1987–1991 | Jim Harkema | 4–1 | Al Molde |
| 1997–1999 | Rick Rasnick | 0–3 | Gary Darnell |
| 2000–2003 | Jeff Woodruff | 0–4 | Gary Darnell |
| 2005–2008 | Jeff Genyk | 1–3 | Bill Cubit |
| 2009–2012 | Ron English | 2–2 | Bill Cubit |
| 2014–2016 | Chris Creighton | 0–3 | P.J. Fleck |
| 2017–2022 | Chris Creighton | 4–2 | Tim Lester |
| 2023–2025 | Chris Creighton | 0–3 | Lance Taylor |
Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from Eastern Michigan’s side (Stock 0–4 against Uzelac). A season split between coaches goes to the one credited with the game.
Both programs through the years
Our Elo rating at the end of each season, a measure of how strong a team was, not a forecast; 1500 is an average FBS team.
Stars of the series
Biggest days
| Matt Bohnet Eastern Michigan | 40 of 58, 399 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT | 2005 Passing | |
| Joseph Sparacio Eastern Michigan | 23 tackles, 1 sack, 1.5 for loss | 2023 Defense | |
| Marshawn Kneeland Western Michigan | 11 tackles, 3 sacks, 4 for loss | 2023 Defense | |
| Carrington Thompson Western Michigan | 8 catches, 177 yards, 2 TD | 2016 Receiving | |
| Jose Ramirez Eastern Michigan | 6 tackles, 4 sacks, 4 for loss | 2022 Defense | |
| James Djonkam Eastern Michigan | 17 tackles, 1 sack, 3 for loss | 2024 Defense |
Biggest days: the week’s best individual games by our big-days rule, from box scores (2004 on).
On television
| 2025 | ESPN2 | 0.4 million viewers |
Viewers: Nielsen, as compiled by nschultz7’s ratings tracker.
Photos
This file was uploaded with Commonist.Photo: Kenneth Bailey, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
This file was uploaded with Commonist.Photo: Kenneth Bailey, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
This file was uploaded with Commonist.Photo: Kenneth Bailey, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
From the rivalry’s and its games’ categories on Wikimedia Commons (free licenses only, each credited).
Every game
Every game is listed as played on the field.