4thand4cast

Search the site.

Try , , or .

Powered by Pagefind

Central Michigan

Chippewas · Mid-American

Head coach Matt Drinkall Year 1 with Central Michigan

Year-1 HCs (2015-2024) averaged -0.19 W vs SP+ expected · n=83

Season Projection · 2026 W0

10,000 sims
5.5
Expected wins
5-6
Proj record
2 to 9
Win range (90%)
#100 (78–123)
Final rank (90%)
0%
Make playoff
2%
Win conference

Path to Glory

Tap a win or a loss on each pivotal game to see how the playoff probability shifts. Leave any game unset to average across both outcomes.

Make the playoff

0%

Baseline projection.

  • at New Mexico
    Away · Sep 6
  • vs Akron
    Home · Oct 3

Pivotal games are the 5 with the largest playoff-probability swing, ranked by the model. Math: chained Bayesian log-odds update from the conditional simulation set; gets the directionally right answer but won't perfectly capture cross-game correlations until the full Monte Carlo pipeline lands.

Returning production · 2025

62 PCI
  • Quarterback 67% (4/6 players)
  • Offensive line 53% (9/17 players)
  • Skill (RB/WR/TE) 61% (22/36 players)
  • Front 7 (DL/LB) 64% (18/28 players)
  • Secondary 73% (16/22 players)
  • Special teams 44% (4/9 players)

PCI weights returning production by position group (QB/OL heaviest). 70%+ is healthy continuity; 45-70% is a normal rebuild; below 45% is a meaningful turnover.

Situational efficiency · 2025

FBS percentile rank
  • 3rd-down conversion 31.7% 24th — bottom tier
  • Red-zone TD rate 12.1% 26th — below avg
  • 4th-down aggression 34.0% 38th — below avg
  • Late & close 6.7 yds/play 86th — strong

Percentile is across all FBS teams with play-by-play data for the season. "Late & close" is yards per play in Q4+ with a one-score margin — a proxy for clutch offensive performance.

Schedule

Full 2026 slate. Tap a row for the matchup breakdown.

Latest Stories

  • Recap

    Central Michigan: 2025 Week 16 recap

    Central Michigan sits at 7–6 after a lopsided 21–3 loss to Toledo in Week 14, a result that underscores the Chippewas' struggles down the stretch. The 18-point defeat at home represents the kind of defensive collapse that has plagued them…

More coming

Per-team pages get the full treatment in Phase 3: current rating, season projection histogram, schedule with win probabilities, and live overlays on Pylon stream days. For now, this page exists so stories and news have a permanent home as content rolls in.