Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan
Central Michigan (3‑5) travels to Eastern Michigan (4‑5), with Eastern Michigan favored by 1.5. Eastern Michigan’s offense is at the 21st percentile on explosive plays; Central Michigan’s defense is at the 90th.
This is Michigan MAC Trophy (EMU-CMU) — see the full head-to-head history →
How they got here
Last three games
Central Michigan · 3-5
Rated 120th in our preseason ratings, 127th now.
Three straight losses.
Last three games
Eastern Michigan · 4-5
Rated 92nd in our preseason ratings, 135th now.
1-2 in its last three — but nothing on this résumé beats a top-40 team yet.
Biggest mismatch: Eastern Michigan’s explosive plays against Central Michigan, 69 points
Each row ranks the two sides among all teams. The longer the line, the bigger the mismatch.
Eastern Michigan’s explosive plays against Central Michigan’s defense
Eastern Michigan offense, 21st percentile · Central Michigan defense, 90th
Eastern Michigan’s passing EPA against Central Michigan’s defense
Eastern Michigan offense, 28th percentile · Central Michigan defense, 68th
What’s at stake
Central Michigan
- Central Michigan needs 3 more wins in the final 3 to reach bowl eligibility — 52% to get there with a win here, 14% with a loss.
- Central Michigan hasn’t beaten a ranked opponent since 2016.
Eastern Michigan
- Eastern Michigan needs 2 more wins in the final 2 to reach bowl eligibility — 75% to get there with a win here, 18% with a loss.
- Eastern Michigan has dropped 1 straight in Michigan MAC Trophy (EMU-CMU) — a chance to snap the skid.
The series
Central Michigan leads the series 34-15-2
51 meetings since 1975 · Central Michigan won the last meeting
- 2025Central Michigan 24-13
- 2024Eastern Michigan 38-34
- 2023Central Michigan 26-23
- 2022Eastern Michigan 38-19
- 2021Central Michigan 31-10
Each line is Eastern Michigan’s chance to win through that meeting. Eastern Michigan is 2-2 in the meetings since 2018 that were still close in the fourth quarter.
Face-off
What each fanbase carries into this one.
Central Michigan
The chip · vs the blue bloodsCentral Michigan fans watched Brian Kelly and Butch Jones build their national coaching reputations here before cashing out at bigger programs -- and watched Antonio Brown become an NFL star after leaving Mount Pleasant. The program did the hard part of the development; other places got the return.
What this game touches
Losing Brian Kelly, then Butch Jones, to bigger jobs. Both coaches who built the program's 2006-2009 MAC title run left Mount Pleasant for larger programs -- Kelly eventually to Notre Dame and LSU, Jones to Cincinnati and Tennessee. The pattern repeats the same wound every mid-major program with real success knows: the program is often the proving ground, not the destination.
Eastern Michigan
The chip · vs the national mediaEastern Michigan gets talked about as one of the toughest jobs in college football, a program that can't break through -- while quietly producing a two-time Super Bowl champion and a $106.5 million NFL star. Fans believe the individual talent proves the program is better than its team record suggests.
What this game touches
Never once reaching the MAC Championship Game. Eastern Michigan is the only MAC member never to reach the conference championship game since it began in 1997. Combined with no conference title since 1987, it's the clearest on-field frustration in the program's modern history -- made sharper by how far its best individual players have gone in the NFL.
Best players
Central Michigan
- Mayson Hitchens (LB) · 62 tackles
- Brett McCalla (LB) · 56 tackles
- Xavier White (LB) · 55 tackles
Eastern Michigan
- Zach Mowchan (LB) · 58 tackles
- Bryce Llewellyn (DB) · 53 tackles
- Elgin McDuffey (LB) · 44 tackles
What to watch
Player to watch: Noah Kim (QB) — Eastern Michigan’s leading passer (1,678 passing yards) takes on Central Michigan’s pass defense (68th percentile allowed).
The total has moved down 2.0 points since opening (46.5 → 44.5): books now expect fewer combined points.
The betting line, and the fans
Our model and the betting line agree on Eastern Michigan’s chances here.
Eastern Michigan favored by 1.5 · Total 44.5
Eastern Michigan by 1.5: where a favorite like this usually runs
Half of games8 in 10 games
Eastern Michigan’s chance through the game, if this goes like the 305 games since 2025 with a favorite of under 3.5 points.
Season profile
Week by week
Eastern Michigan
- Wk 4Wvs Lindenwood29-3
- Wk 5Wat Massachusetts38-14
- Wk 6Wat Akron25-23
- Wk 7Lvs Toledo14-34
- Wk 8Lat Ohio20-24
Central Michigan
- Wk 4Lat Miami3-52
- Wk 5Wvs Akron41-17
- Wk 6Lat Ohio14-31
- Wk 7Lvs Western Michigan14-21
- Wk 8Lvs Miami (OH)27-28
Power rating by week
Central Michigan is rated 0.6 points ahead as of week 10. Our power rating by week; higher is better.
The market
The total fell 2 points.
Total: 46.5 → 44.5
The books’ cut: 4.6%, the margin built into the odds
Conference standings
Going into this game: place in the conference, then conference record.
- Eastern Michigan5th3-2
- Central Michigan10th1-3
Last meeting in our History pages
- Central Michigan 24, Eastern Michigan 13Sep 27, 2025
Our History pages cover 11 of their meetings since 2015.