Eastern Kentucky is in control of its own destiny now.

With the Colonels win at Ohio Valley Conference favorite Eastern Illinois on Saturday, EKU (4-2, 3-0 OVC) has a chance to win its first league title since 1997.

The program is incredibly consistent, with 29 straight winning seasons. But during head coach Danny Hope’s five-year tenure, high preseason expectations haven’t always turned into strong years for his team.

Last year, the Colonels were picked to win the league, but lost three of their first four league games to fall out of contention.

The Colonels, who were picked to finish fourth in the league’s preseason poll, are proving that prediction wrong by cutting down on mistakes and penalties – two areas that hurt EKU last year.

The team was rewarded for its win in Charleston by being named the Football Championship Subdivision National Team of the Week by CollegeSportsReport.com. this week.

With five conference games left, EKU has a chance to win out and earn the league’s automatic playoff berth.

Here’s a look at the rest of EKU’s schedule.

Saturday vs. Southeast Missouri

The Colonels showed they need work on stopping the run in their game against Eastern Illinois. And run is about all SEMO’s offense has to offer. The home game for EKU should help against SEMO. The Redhawks are 1-4 in league road games under second-year head coach Tony Samuel.

Oct. 20 vs. Tennessee State

The Tigers and Colonels should come into this game with perfect league marks. EKU will be tested by a superior athletic team in TSU, but the Tigers weak special teams has hurt them this year.

Oct. 27 at Murray State

One never knows what to expect out of the young and inexperienced Racers. These two rivals historically have had close games. But in the last two years, EKU has won both and outscored Murray 94-28.

Nov. 10 at Austin Peay

The surprise team of the league faces the most consistent team in the league. Looking at the series history between the two schools (EKU leads 36-3) would suggest the win would be huge for Austin Peay. But injury problems for the Governors might limit their chances for the team’s first win against EKU since 1977.

Nov. 17 vs. Tennessee Tech

Expect a late-season shoot-out between these two high-octane offenses. Whoever has the ball last has the best chance to leave with the win. The Colonels should have revenge on their minds after Tech upset them last year in EKU’s first conference loss.

What Others are Saying

“The turnovers aside, there wasn’t a whole lot that was bad for the Golden Eagles on Saturday. Despite the losing score on the board, Tech had a great effort to win the game. The inexperience on the offense was a factor, but it wasn’t the deciding one.”

-Herald-Citizen staff reporter Thomas Corhern in his Oct. 8 story about Tennessee Tech’s loss against Austin Peay on Saturday.