The Monmouth Hawks from the FCS’ Big South Conference and Western Michigan had similar seasons last year, statistically speaking. Both teams ranked highly in scoring offense in 2018, with the Hawks finishing the season ranked 23rd and Western Michigan ranked 38th.
Heading into 2019, both teams figure to pick up where they left off on offense, returning most of the players that made them successful in 2018.
But the jump from contender to conference champion will depend on defensive growth as both teams finished in the bottom third of the FCS and FBS in scoring defense with the Hawks at 82nd and Western Michigan at 106th.