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Central Michigan

Chippewas · Mid-American

GIE rank
#81
of 138 FBS
Rating
1506
2026 Week 12
Record
4-5
2026 season
Proj record
6-6
12-game season

Head coach Matt Drinkall Year 2 with Central Michigan

Year-2 HCs (2015-2024) averaged +0.09 W vs. preseason expectation

Season projection

2026 W12 · 10,000 sims
Expected wins
5.7
1.7 more wins in 3 left
Win range (90%)
4 to 7
Final rank (90%)
#82 (67–97)
Make playoff
0%
Win conference
0%

Path to glory

No remaining game changes Central Michigan's playoff odds. Make playoff 0%

Schedule

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

Schedule and results
Week Opponent Result or win prob.Result or win probability
Wk 1 Sep 6 at New Mexico Mountain West Loss, 7-38 Final
Wk 2 Sep 12 vs Colgate Non-FBS Win, 13-10 Final
Wk 3 Sep 19 vs Wyoming Mountain West Win, 24-10 Final
Wk 4 Sep 26 at Miami ACC Loss, 3-52 Final
Wk 5 Oct 3 vs Akron Mid-American Win, 41-17 Final
Wk 6 Oct 10 at Ohio Mid-American Loss, 14-31 Final
Wk 7 Oct 17 vs Western Michigan Mid-American Loss, 14-21 Final
Wk 8 Oct 24 vs Miami (OH) Mid-American Loss, 27-28 Final
Wk 9 Bye
Wk 10 Nov 5 vs Eastern Michigan Mid-American · neutral Win, 35-7 Final
Wk 11 Nov 12 vs Sacramento State Mid-American Win probability: 86%
Wk 12 Nov 19 at Buffalo Mid-American Win probability: 36%
Wk 13 Nov 28 at Ball State Mid-American Win probability: 62%

Latest stories

  • Recap

    Central Michigan: 2026 Week 12 recap

    Central Michigan sits at 4–5 after dismantling Eastern Michigan 35–7 in Week 10, a result that lifted their GIE rating 3.5 points to –13.2 and pulled them into 118th nationally. The blowout win masks a deeper problem: a red-zone touchdown…

  • Analysis

    Central Michigan rises 84 ELO points this week

    Central Michigan's rating surged 84 ELO points this week, the sharpest move the program has recorded in the data window. The current rating of 1506 represents a decisive break from prior positioning at 1422, though the underlying record…

  • Recap

    Central Michigan: 2026 Week 11 recap

    Central Michigan sits at 3–5 with a rating of –16.7, holding rank 127 nationally. The Chippewas' most recent contest—a one-point home loss to Miami (OH) in Week 8—underscores a season defined by narrow margins and execution shortfalls.…

Show 3 more Central Michigan stories
  • Recap

    Central Michigan: 2026 Week 7 recap

    Central Michigan sits at 3–2 after dismantling Akron 41–17 in Week 5, but the Chippewas haven't budged in GIE's rankings—still 129th with a rating of –18.7. That stasis masks a real problem: a red-zone TD rate of just 12% means the…

  • Recap

    Central Michigan: 2026 Week 3 recap

    Central Michigan sits at 0–1 with a rating of –15.1 after a lopsided Week 1 loss to New Mexico (38–7), and that damage hasn't budged GIE's assessment heading into Week 3. The Chippewas managed only a 12% red-zone touchdown rate in that…

  • 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…

In the news

Show 4 more headlines

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.

Returning production · 2026

42 score

  • Quarterback 33% (5/7)
  • Offensive line 59% (10/17) players
  • Skill (RB/WR/TE) 51% (15/29)
  • Front 7 (DL/LB) 21% (8/25)
  • Secondary 23% (10/21)
  • Special teams 85% (3/6)

Share of last season's production each unit returns. Higher means more continuity: 70%+ is healthy, 45–70% a normal rebuild, under 45% a major turnover.

Portal additions · 2026

−0.9 rating

17 proven transfers in, carrying the production below from their prior school.

Central Michigan incoming transfers
Player From Impact
Jayden ClerveauxRB From Holy Cross Holy Cross 56
Vaughn BlueRB From Liberty Liberty 49
Justin TaylorDB From Wyoming Wyoming 42
Jaden AllenTE From Fordham Fordham 37
Darrell Bryant Jr.DB From Northern Colorado Northern Colorado 21
Matthew McKenzieDB From Bethune-Cookman Bethune-Cookman 16

Impact scores offensive skill additions (QB/RB/WR/TE) — prior-season production normalized within position (100 ≈ a 90th-percentile producer at that spot) and discounted for non-FBS competition, so a top back counts alongside a top quarterback. Defensive and O-line additions count as transfers but aren't box-score measurable, so they carry no impact score. The rating figure is this class's portal contribution vs. the FBS average, capped at ±2.5.

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.