Eastern's No. 1 pick can be a boon - and a bane

Once again, the Big Sky Conference bulls-eye is on the Eastern Washington University football team.

In a July 16 news release, conference media representatives and coaches voted the Eagles as the top pick to win the Big Sky this season. Eastern collected six first-place votes, 134 points, in the coaches poll and 27 votes, 651 points, in the media poll.

Both polls picked Weber State, last year’s co-champion, to finish second and Northern Arizona to finish third while newcomer — sort of — Idaho was fourth in the coaches poll and fifth in the media poll. Not a lot of respect for a former Big Sky member who has spent the last 25-plus years trying to compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly NCAA Division I.

Last year’s other co-champion, Southern Utah, was picked to finish sixth in both polls.

The Eagles have been picked to win the Sky before, of course. Both polls had Eastern as champion in 2014 and we didn’t let them down.

With 28 seniors and 17 starters returning, it’s easy to see why coaches and media like the folks here in Cheney to be the cream of the crop in the Sky. Two-time Walter Payton Award finalist quarterback Gage Gubrud, defensive nose tackle Jay-Tee Tiuli and running back Antoine Custer, Jr. are 2018 Big Sky preseason all-conference picks, and there’s more on both sides of the ball and special teams to make Eastern truly one of the more seasoned teams in the conference.

But the No. 1 selection is also a verdict on the quality of Eastern’s program, particularly in light of last year’s head coaching change from Beau Baldwin to Aaron Best.

It’s probably not fair to look at Best as a second-year head coach. While that’s what he is, on paper, the former Eagle lineman has been an “EKG — Eagle Kind of Guy” throughout his 21 years with the program.

Also going strong for the Eagles is Best’s staff, the newest additions of which are now in their second season. There’s a lot of positive things to be said about continuity and familiarity.

So Eastern’s recognition by the media and coaches is a tribute to what Best has helped build as much as Baldwin and others before him. As an alum with two degrees from the campus on the hill, and as a regular-season ticket holder, I’m pleased.

But I’m nervous.

History is littered with the bones of teams that were picked by coaches and media to be champions, the best, only to fall flat on their face. It’s humiliating and difficult to live down sometimes.

We won’t have long to wait to see if the coaches and media’s faith in Eastern’s place in the conference is validated. In fact, we’ll get a glimpse in the season’s second game as the Eagles visit Flagstaff, Ariz. to take on Northern Arizona.

Eastern missed playing the Football Championship Subdivision playoff-bound Lumberjacks last season, and Flagstaff’s 7,000-foot elevation is always fun, especially early in the season. Making things even more interesting is the Eagles get last year’s co-champions in successive weekends — Southern Utah at home Oct. 6 and Weber State the following Saturday in Ogden, Utah.

And while the coaches and media sort of did, hopefully Best and company won’t overlook the return of Idaho to Cheney on Oct. 27 — fittingly for Homecoming. I’m sure the Vandals and their fans are hoping to make a statement in the former NCAA I-AA division — like, “We’re back and expect to be dominant.”

Here’s to hoping they find out that times have changed.

Yes, while it’s blisteringly hot outside right now, football is just around the corner.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].