The CFP Era · 2014–present

Central Michigan

Twelve seasons in three acts · Mid-American

69–77Record
47.3%Win %
0National titles
2014Peak season
33Avg. percentile
9NFL draftees

The three-act trajectory

Within-season power percentile against the FBS cohort, season by season.

FOUNDINGTRANSITIONEXPANSION0255075100141516171819202122232425Peak of the era2014 · 7–6Steepest fall2018
Source CFB Zeitgeist · power ratings
Founding2014–2020

The four-team Playoff era. The bracket is small, the margin for error none.

40–44 · avg percentile 37
Transition2021–2023

The last seasons before expansion — NIL arrives, the portal opens, the four-team format ends.

18–19 · avg percentile 27
Expansion2024–present

The twelve-team Playoff. A wider field changes what a season has to prove.

11–14 · avg percentile 26

Defining games

Coaches of the era

Dan Enos2014–2014
John Bonamego2015–2017
Jim McElwain2020–2024
Matt Drinkall2025–2025

Roster of the era

9 players drafted into the NFL across the CFP era.

114
115
117
218
221
122
124

Entering Year 13

The 2026 season opens the next chapter of the expansion era under Matt Drinkall. See the 2014–2025 program page →