PRESEASON POLL: Fourth in the Western Division​HEAD COACH: Chris Creighton – third season (15-34 at EMU, 154-80 overall)

Ian Erickson is part of a strong backfield that should help EMU's transition to a new quarterback. (MVSmith/MRO)

OFFENSE:➤ The number one priority for Creighton and offensive coordinator Aaron Keen is finding a quarterback for the departed Brogan Roback. Replacing one of the best quarterbacks in EMU’s recent history will be a tall task in deed. Fifth-year senior Tyler Weigers and sophomore Issac Stiebeling are among the contenders . Weigers comes from Iowa with one year of eligibility left. He was in on the battle for the Hawkeyes starting QB job a season ago but fell short. Steibling saw action late last season and engineered the game-winning drive in EMU’s finale againstback from last year,” Creighton said. “These guys are chomping at the bit to lead this team. … A lot of our success is going to be dictated by how those guys perform. Among those up front is center Dakota Tallman, one of the more underrated lineman in the MAC. He is flanked at LG by senior Jeremy Hickey and senior RG Jimmy Leatiota who was second team all-MAC a season ago. Junior RT Steve Nielsen is also part of a talented unit.

➤ One place that was hit hard by graduation is wide receiver, Sergio Bailey and Antoine Porter are both gone, but Creighton has addressed the losses, in part, by adding a trio of California JUCO transfers (Otis Jackson III, Line Latu and Michael Thompson) to EMU