What looks to be perhaps the game of the year in the Ohio Valley Conference will take place on just the second weekend of league play.

Defending champion Eastern Illinois (3-2, 1-0) and last year's runner-up Eastern Kentucky (4-2, 1-0) square off Saturday afternoon in Charleston, Ill.

Both coaches acknowledge the importance of the game between the two nationally-ranked teams but don't place a must-win tag on it -- especially given the apparent overall competitiveness of the league this year.

"The league is tougher now than it ever has been. I think every game is a potential win and loss for everybody," said EIU coach Bob Spoo, who did concede that, "Sure it's huge. They're a damn good football team, always have been. We just have to be ready for it and be able to respond again."

Said EKU coach Roy Kidd, who last week announced his retirement effective at the end of the season, "It's a big game, but the way some of the other teams are playing ... I said before that I don't think anybody is going to go through the league without a loss this year."

That's exactly what the Panthers did last season as they went 6-0 in conference play, including a 21-17 win over the Colonels that marked EKU's only league loss. Kidd said he expects plenty of more points to be put up this time around. EIU is averaging 31 points per game while EKU leads the OVC with 34.7 points a contest.

"They're scoring a lot of points and I think we're going to have to score a lot of points," Kidd said. "I don't think it will be a game like last year score wise. I'll be surprised if it is."

Although the ninth-ranked Panthers have plenty of weapons, Kidd is most concerned about senior quarterback Tony Romo, the two-time OVC offensive player of the year who was picked as the Division I-AA national preseason player of the year by one publication.

Romo completed 28 of 38 passes for 373 yards and four touchdowns during last Saturday's 35-28 win at Tennessee Tech. For the season, he is completing nearly 65 percent for 1,346 yards and 15 TDs.

"As long as they have that quarterback, they're going to be tough to beat," Kidd said. "He is really good."

Spoo is not about to argue that point.

"Those quarterbacks make the difference for a lot of programs," Spoo said. "We're just fortunate we have a young man with two years under his belt. He's a fine quarterback and a good, solid citizen."

While the Panthers opened OVC play with a tough win at Tennessee Tech, the 19th-ranked Colonels tuned up for Saturday's showdown by mauling visiting Tennessee-Martin 58-3. It was Kidd's 311th victory in his 39th season at EKU.

"Very honestly we just probably had them a little outmanned," Kidd said.

He doesn't expect that to be the case Saturday.

Other Saturday games

The EKU-EIU matchup is the one grabbing most of the attention this week, but two other conference games will be played Saturday as Tennessee Tech (2-4, 0-1) visits Murray State (1-3, 0-0) and Southeast Missouri State (4-2, 1-0) travels to Tennessee-Martin (2-4, 0-1).

"Both teams I'm sure are disappointed with the records," Tech coach Mike Hennigan said of his team and the Racers. "We've played some good teams, but neither one expected to be here."

Murray State coach Joe Pannunzio welcomed his squad's open date last Saturday after the Racers suffered consecutive bitter defeats, by one point to Illinois State and three points in double-overtime to Indiana State.

"It came at an opportune time after two tough losses," Pannunzio said. "And now, starting OVC play, we can wipe the slate clean."

Southeast will be looking to go 2-0 in the OVC for the first time since joining the league in 1991 while handing UT-Martin its 38th straight conference loss. The Skyhawks' last OVC win was a 7-6 decision over Southeast in 1996.

The Indians, who two weeks ago stunned Division I-A Middle Tennessee State, continue to draw rave reviews from the rest of the OVC.

"They continue to scare me to death with what they're doing," Kidd said.

Added Hennigan, "From where they're coming from and what they've gotten to, I think Southeast Missouri has made the most strides" of any OVC team.

One other Saturday game has Tennessee State (1-5, 0-1) visiting Alabama A&M in non-league play. The Tigers have lost four straight games, including last Saturday's 49-25 drubbing at Southeast.