With eight conference games on the schedule now in the new Northern Michigan Football Conference, teams like East Jordan only have so much room to change things up from year to year.
You won’t find many playing an eight-game league schedule, but, that’s how things shake out now for NMFC teams.
Compared to a year ago, things will actually get a little easier entering 2026, at least on paper in the preseason, for whatever that’s worth.
But you won’t find a tough Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart and larger Kalkaska and Elk Rapids. East Jordan went 2-1 in those games during a 7-4 season.
It came with a fifth straight playoff trip earned and second straight year with a playoff win.
The goals remain the same ahead for the Red Devils, so let’s dive into the schedule a bit more.
New conference games
In the ever-changing landscape of conference football in Northern Michigan, East Jordan will pick up three new conference opponents ahead.
One is brand new, while two others have a brief history with EJ.
First up is a Week 2 meeting with Oscoda, which will come as an over five-hour round trip to the other side of the state. And that’s a conference game.
There is some history between these two, but you have to go back to 2021 and 2022 when East Jordan earned a pair of wins in a two-game non-conference series.
The Owls have had a tough go of things of late, not meeting the postseason since a 9-0 start to the 2020 season. That was part of a playoff stretch with five appearances in six seasons.
It’s been five blank seasons since, including a 1-8 campaign a year ago.
A trip to Tawas for the Braves’ Homecoming in Week 5 will come as the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
While teams can certainly take big steps up or down in one year, the Braves are in the midst of a 5-46 stretch since the 2020 season. They’ve earned just one win in each of the last three seasons, so East Jordan should have no issues with four and a half hour round trip to the Lake Huron side.
The final new conference game will come a week later in Week 6, when Benzie Central makes its way to East Jordan.
This will be a tough matchup for the Red Devils. Benzie is considerably bigger and a schedule a year ago against Traverse City St. Francis, Charlevoix, Kingsley, Frankfort, Grayling and Monroe Jefferson explains a 2-7 finish.
The Huskies have some solid athletes back, as well, so Week 6 is one to watch.
Beware of Week 4
Speaking of games that should raise the awareness a little, how about a Week 4 visit from Mancelona.
After opening the season with a pair of road games, the Red Devils will settle in for two games at home.
The week prior, Glen Lake will make the trip in, which will carry a lot of the Red Devils’ focus for a conference championship.
After falling in a narrow 24-22 game against the Lakers last season, EJ did a nice job rebounding the next week against Sacred Heart in a 34-12 final, but fell right back down the following week against Mancelona.
While getting past teams like Frankfort or Glen Lake will always be the big key to winning the conference, it’s the unexpected ones you’ve got to look out for.
Always with a solid group of athletes to pick from, Mancelona – coming off consecutive playoff trips – should be circled as one of the key games of the season for EJ.
Fun ending
We haven’t even started the 2026 season, so it’s hard to point towards the ending, but I feel like I have to.
The final couple weeks of the regular season should be fun.
Week 8 comes with a trip to Frankfort, which, depending on how the season shakes out, could be a game that decides the NMFC title.
While the Panthers are still a great team and in a five-year stretch of earning a spot into the postseason, EJ has had their number of late.
Over their last five matchups, East Jordan is 5-0, which includes two playoff matchups and a 2-0 record last season.
They’ve had every kind of game as well, from blowouts to shootouts, to low-scoring nail biters.
In Week 9, it’s then a visit from rival Harbor Springs.
With the Rams finishing 5-4 last season and playing better football, this rivalry gets some juice back to it.
Recent matchups otherwise are terribly lopsided, but if everyone stays healthy all the way to Week 9, this should be a fun way to put a bow on the 2026 regular season.
2026 East Jordan Football Schedule
Fri. Aug. 28 — at Charlevoix, 7 p.m.
Thur. Sept. 3 — at Oscoda, 7 p.m.
Fri. Sept. 11 — vs. Maple City Glen Lake, 7 p.m.
Fri. Sept. 18 — vs. Mancelona, 7 p.m.
Fri. Sept. 25 — at Tawas, 7 p.m.
Fri. Oct. 2 — vs. Benzie Central, 7 p.m.
Fri. Oct. 9 — vs. Johannesburg-Lewiston, 7 p.m.
Fri. Oct. 16 — at Frankfort, 7 p.m.
Fri. Oct. 23 — vs. Harbor Springs, 7 p.m.
Reach Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com and follow him on X @DrewKochanny and Instagram @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: East Jordan football looking to be conference contender again in new league
Reporting by Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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By Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review | USA TODAY Network
