It is kind of interesting that the Eastern Michigan Eagles will play the San Jose State Spartans again. (It’s also certainly something which feels intentional given ESPN’s love of dramatic match-ups.)
The last time they played was in 1987, during what was probably the magical season for Eastern Michigan University.
The 1987 California Bowl would be the second time that Eastern Michigan appeared in a bowl game but the first (and so far) only time that Eastern Michigan would win the Mid-American Conference at season’s end. Going in the game, EMU was 9-2, with losses against Akron and Central Michigan.