Despite the football team getting off to an early 3-0 start, Eastern’s athletic department is still considering tacking on an 11th game on the No. 6 ranked Panthers schedule.

“I think it is still a possibility,” said John Smith, Eastern’s assistant athletic director for development. “I think right now we have three options, and I would say we are still considering all three.”

The open date on Eastern’s schedule is Nov. 24. The week was originally scheduled as the first week of the Division I-AA playoffs, but was pushed back after games were canceled in wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

For Eastern, that meant the cancelation of a road game at Illinois State, which the two teams failed to reschedule. That leaves athletic director Rich McDuffie, head football coach Bob Spoo and Smith weighing their three options.

“Option No. 1 is to play a Division I-A money game and try to make some money for the athletic department and try to help cover some costs for the football team,” Smith said. “Option No. 2 would be to schedule another I-AA opponent. The third option, of course, would be not to do any thing.”

Playing a Division I-A team was at the top of Eastern’s wish list two weeks ago, when it was announced the Panthers would have the opportunity to add another game.

“The I-A game is intriguing to our athletic director as well as our football staff,” Smith said. “But we would want it to be worthwhile, because it obviously doesn’t do us any good to play someone where we might lose some players.

“There are different types of I-A teams. There are I-A teams that just pound you and there are I-A teams that are finesse teams. There are I-A teams that play on grass and I-A teams that play on turf. We’d want a finesse-oriented I-A team that plays on grass.”

McDuffie and Smith held talks with several teams that would fit into that category.

“We made a lot of calls two weeks ago,” Smith said. “Unfortunately it just didn’t work out that well. Some of the teams we were talking with found other replacement games or their schedule didn’t match up.”

Smith said Eastern had extensive talks with the University of South Carolina for a game on Nov. 24, but Lou Holtz’s team hasn’t informed the Panthers with a final decision. The Gamecocks were also having discussions with Army, Smith said.

Among the other teams Smith and McDuffie have conversed with are Arkansas State, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Marshall and Alabama. Most of those teams either altered their schedule or opted to reschedule against another team.

While Smith said he and McDuffie continue to keep their eyes open for a money game, playing against a Division I-AA team could possibly be an option.

“We haven’t approached it yet because we’ve been looking at the I-A’s first,” Smith said. “I would imagine quite a few I-AA’s are in the same boat we are, waiting to see how their season goes.”

Smith said there is no deadline set for when the athletic department and football staff would have to decide whether to add an 11th game. The Panthers would likely only add a game against a Division I-AA team if it would increase their chances to make the playoffs.

“I feel like we would need to be on the bubble to schedule a game against a I-AA team, and usually the bubble is three losses,” he said. “So if we’re 7-3, it would obviously look better for us to be 8-3. So if it looks like we’re on the bubble for a playoff berth, we would want to schedule a I-AA school and probably a good one.”

If the Panthers remain on their current pace than option No. 3, not scheduling a game, is most likely the route Eastern will take. But Smith isn’t counting out the I-A money game yet.

“I think a lot of the I-A teams are sitting around waiting to see how important that extra game really is,” he said. “I think that’s the feeling of our coaches as well. If something comes up, then myself, Rich McDuffie and Bob Spoo will see what we’re able to do. We’ll do the best to accommodate what Bob wants to do.”