“What a wonderful world it could be.”

As much as I hate to quote that old song, the phrase sums up my feelings about the this year’s Eastern football team’s Division 1-A schedule.

I realize the Panthers can’t play all four of their non-conference games against teams ranked in the top 25. Scheduling conflicts aside, certainly the Panthers wouldn’t fare too well in these tough contests. Not to mention the team could also take a pounding physically, meaning the injuries would pile up before the start of the Ohio Valley Conference.

Regardless of how well the Panthers do against Missouri, Illinois State and Indiana State, Eastern’s main concern is the eight game OVC schedule.

But I feel if you’re going to risk those above factors and play a money game against a Division 1-A school the contest might as well be against a local Illinois school.

Here in Illinois we have three Division 1-A schools that would fit the bill. The University of Illinois, Northwestern University and Northern Illinois University all would be potential suitors.

While the Illini and Wildcats may have more prestigious football programs, playing in the Big Ten appearing on television regularly, the real team to hit the gridiron with would be the Huskies in DeKalb.

The Huskies are without question the most exciting team in the state for the second straight year, which would be great for publicizing around Charleston. I see the posters now “Extinguish the Burner” and “Hush the Huskies” plastered on the doors of classrooms and on the windows of Lantz Arena. Provide a shuttle bus to the game and the fans would be set.

To make matters even better, this weekend NIU will play host to an OVC team at the newly named Brigham Field.

The more logical choice would be the Panthers, right? Bob Spoo and the boys hop on Illinois-57 and in three or four hours they’re in DeKalb. The game would feature a couple of great matchups as Hiesman hopeful Michael “The Burner” Turner would square off against Walter Payton nominee Andre Raymond.

It’s a well known fact “Dre” is very confident he is the best on the football field and a showdown with Turner would be a great measuring stick to see where Raymond is on the state’s running back radar.

Also how fun would it be to see the Huskies’ receiving corps of P.J. Fleck and Dan Sheldon go over the middle with 2002 OVC Defensive Player of the Year Nick Ricks waiting to prove why he received that accolade?

Lastly, what a war of the minds it would be between the schools front men. Bob Spoo, the winningest coach in Panthers’ history, against the Huskies Joe Novak.

Novak is largely thought of as the key ingredient for Northern’s return to prominence.

This sounds like such a great idea that even Eastern’s Director of Athletics Dr. Rich McDuffie is on board.

“We try to play the local schools,” McDuffie said. “In fact the last time we played Northern (1998) we beat them. We always try to play schools in driving distance.”

So then on Sept. 6, when the Huskies play their Division 1-AA opponent, they will be taken on a hungry Panthers team looking for some respect. Right?

Wrong!

The OVC team Northern will face is not the Panthers, but rather the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech.

Why the Huskies would take on a team in the OVC with a similar enrollment as Eastern, yet quite a further distance away is not known. It’s possible the Huskies schedule was locked and they couldn’t add a game late like Eastern did last year with Kansas State.

Lets hope it is not Eastern’s fault the games against local schools don’t get done. McDuffie said Eastern is receiving $100,000 less for the game against Missouri then they did for their trip out to San Diego in 2001, so it can’t all be about the money.

There is nothing like an in-state rivalry, and beating or playing closely to a Division 1-A school like the Huskies would be a great boost not only for publicity but also the recruiting base.

Eastern vs. Northern would be a win-win situation for the Panthers, unfortunately it appears this game, or any other against an Illinois D-1A school, won’t take place in the near future.