Although one team finished 5-7 and the other finished 2-10, 2017 was a highly disappointing season for both teams involved in Tuesday night's 34-31 thriller in Ypsilanti. In a battle of high-flying offenses, the Eagles soared above the Falcons in The Factory to close the season.
Here's what we learned:
Eastern Michigan should be in a bowl game
Eastern Michigan concluded the year by winning three of its last four, but it won't be enough to register a 13th game this winter. The Eagles finished the year with a -35 point differential in losses (5 points per game) and only lost one game by more than seven points (42-30 to Central Michigan, in a game closer than the score would indicate thanks to a last minute pick six).