Central Michigan

3-5

Program prestige

Zeitgeist statureRegional Program IV#130 all-time– holding
one line from Regional Program III

Stature and coaches, 1975–2026

The program’s standing over time, with every coach’s tenure beneath it — read down to see who was there for each rise and fall.

Central Michigan is Regional Program today. Never reached Dynasty tier; National Program is its high, most recently in 1987.

1975: National Program1976: National Program1977: National Program1978: National Program1979: National Program1980: National Program1981: National Program1982: National Program1983: National Program1984: National Program1985: National Program1986: National Program1987: National Program1988: Regional Program1989: Regional Program1990: Regional Program1991: Regional Program1992: Regional Program1993: Regional Program1994: Regional Program1995: Regional Program1996: Regional Program1997: Regional Program1998: Regional Program1999: Regional Program2000: Regional Program2001: Regional Program2002: Regional Program2003: Regional Program2004: Regional Program2005: Regional Program2006: Regional Program2007: Regional Program2008: Regional Program2009: Regional Program2010: Regional Program2011: Regional Program2012: Regional Program2013: Regional Program2014: Regional Program2015: Regional Program2016: Regional Program2017: Regional Program2018: Regional Program2019: Regional Program2020: Regional Program2021: Regional Program2022: Regional Program2023: Regional Program2024: Regional Program2025: Regional Program2026: Regional Program198020002020
DynastyBlue BloodPower ProgramNational ProgramRegional Program

Run↔pass identity, by season

No play-by-play coverage before 2004more passmore run200420062008201020122014201620182020202220242026

Every coach, tenure by tenure, on the coaching page →

Program outlook

Program outlook

Central Michigan won three MAC titles in four years under two coaches who both left for bigger jobs — and produced an NFL star receiver along the way. The program built it. Other places got to keep it.

Since Jul 3: W 41-17 vs Akron; L 14-31 at Ohio; L 14-21 vs Western Michigan; L 27-28 vs Miami (OH). 3-5 this season.

Read the full essay — 3 more paragraphs

Brian Kelly won a MAC title at Central Michigan. Then he left for Cincinnati, and eventually Notre Dame, and eventually LSU. Butch Jones took over, won two more MAC titles (2007 and 2009), and then he left too — for Cincinnati, and eventually Tennessee. Three championships in four years, and both architects moved on to Power-conference careers almost as soon as the ink dried.

The best of those teams was 2009: a 20-10 win over Ohio for the title, quarterback Dan LeFevour running the show (3,438 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, plus 713 rushing yards and 15 more scores on the ground that season alone), and receiver Antonio Brown extending a 40-game catch streak and crossing 1,000 receiving yards for the third season running — in the championship game itself. Brown went on to become one of the most productive wide receivers in the NFL for a stretch of years, which means the Chippewas can point to a real, honest-to-god NFL star who wore maroon and gold before anyone outside Mount Pleasant knew the name.

Matt Drinkall took over in December 2024 after six seasons at Army, where he'd helped build an 81-56 record and three bowl appearances, and his first Central Michigan team went 7-6 (5-3 MAC) in 2025 — a solid debut in a program that knows exactly what a real coaching era looks like, and knows exactly how fast a good one can leave.

On the field

The Kelly/Jones era set the template — up-tempo, quarterback-driven football built around a dual-threat centerpiece like LeFevour — and every era since has been measured against whether it can find that same identity again.

Program outlook · as of Jul 3, 2026

Central Michigan has won 52% of its games since 1931 — 65% at home, 41% on the road.

322-290-11 all-time · 68 seasons · 1931–2026

Home 187-93-7
Away 130-185-4
Neutral 5-12
4 g 1930s
2 g 1940s
6 g 1960s
74% 1970s
62% 1980s
48% 1990s
49% 2000s
44% 2010s
46% 2020s
The era · 2014 through 2026

The CFP era

13 seasons inside the CFP era, no bids yet — the era the program is still trying to break into.

Era record 72-82 13 seasons
Best season 9-4 2021
Trajectory · quality-score line · AP rank dotted · CFP bids marked · coach regimes ribboned
Program quality AP rank (inverted) CFP appearance
'14'16'18'20'22'24Now

Swipe left for earlier seasons

Chapters · 13 seasons · tap to open the archive
'14 7-6 '15 7-6 '16 6-7 '17 8-5 '18 1-11 '19 8-6 '20 — '21 9-4 '22 4-8 '23 5-7 '24 4-8 '25 7-6 '26 3-5

Central Michigan’s 2014–2026 record is 72-82.

Era win %
.467
Ranked seasons (AP)
0/13
Best AP finish
—

Matt Drinkall

Matt Drinkall is in year 2. The methodology is taking shape.

Era Matt Drinkall · 2025–presentPrev: Jim McElwain (2019–2024)OC: Jim Chapin (co) / Derek Fulton (co)Prev OC: Jim Chapin / Derek Fulton (co) (2025)DC: Sean CroninPrev DC: Sean Cronin (2025)
The full CFP-era story →The full coaching lineage →
2 years · era

Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan, meeting by meeting

Central Michigan leads the series 34-15-2 (since 1975); in the last 10 meetings, Central Michigan is 6-4

evenCentral Michigan aheadEastern Michigan ahead198020002020

2025: Central Michigan won 24-13. After this game, Central Michigan led 34-15-2.

Last 25 meetings: ▲ Central Michigan won, ▼ Eastern Michigan won, by how much

2001: Central Michigan won 35-302002: Central Michigan won 47-212003: Central Michigan won 38-102004: Eastern Michigan won 61-582005: Eastern Michigan won 23-202006: Central Michigan won 24-172007: Eastern Michigan won 48-452008: Eastern Michigan won 56-522009: Central Michigan won 56-82010: Central Michigan won 52-142011: Eastern Michigan won 35-282012: Central Michigan won 34-312013: Central Michigan won 42-102014: Central Michigan won 38-72015: Central Michigan won 35-282016: Eastern Michigan won 26-212017: Central Michigan won 42-302018: Eastern Michigan won 17-72019: Central Michigan won 42-162020: Central Michigan won 31-232021: Central Michigan won 31-102022: Eastern Michigan won 38-192023: Central Michigan won 26-232024: Eastern Michigan won 38-342025: Central Michigan won 24-132009: by 4820012025

Each step is one meeting: up when Central Michigan wins, down when Eastern Michigan wins, flat for a tie. Counts every game in our records since 1975. Tap the line for any season.

Moments in Central Michigan history

What this program never forgets

Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.

2009 MAC Championship

Central Michigan beats Ohio 20-10 for the MAC title behind Dan LeFevour and Antonio Brown, capping a three-titles-in-four-years run

Moment of the year · 2026

Lost 3-52 at Miami

Week 4 of 2026. A reckoning loss — the data point the next season must answer.

Decisive marginvs Top-10 (#6)
2022–2025

Central Michigan has sent 4 players to the NFL Draft since 2022 — none in the first round.

Developing. Pipeline emerging.

4 picks · 0 in round 1
#57 Luke Goedeke Offensive Tackle · 2022 · Tampa Bay Buccaneers
#77 Bernhard Raimann Offensive Tackle · 2022 · Indianapolis Colts
#229 Donte Kent Cornerback · 2025 · Pittsburgh Steelers · #238/327 final season
#108 all-time · 2 first-round picksthe talent factory →

More in this tab

Ladder finishHow far up the ladder this season got.

Season standing · 2026 · 3-5

Central Michigan is 3-5 — below .500 in FBS.

Below .500 in FBS play. The rebuild bar.

Sub-FBSBuildingBowlRankedContenderPlayoff
ConferenceWhere this team sits in this season's conference standings.

Mid-American standing · 2026

10th in the Mid-American

Central Michigan is 10th of 13 in the Mid-American at 1-3. The path to the title is steep — the focus is on bowl access and rivalry wins.

#ProgramRecord
1Ohio5-0
2Buffalo4-1
3Western Michigan4-1
4Toledo3-1
5Eastern Michigan3-2
6Miami (OH)3-2
7Ball State2-2
8Bowling Green2-3
9Kent State2-3
10Central Michigan1-3
11Massachusetts1-3
12Sacramento State1-5
13Akron0-5
Coaching historyCurrent head coach Matt Drinkall, hired 2025

Coaching history

  • Hired Matt Drinkall2025
  • Jim McElwain departs33-36, 6 seasons
  • Hired Jim McElwain2019
  • John Bonamego departs22-29, 4 seasons
  • Hired John Bonamego2015
  • Dan Enos departs26-36, 5 seasons
  • Hired Dan Enos2010
  • Butch Jones departs27-13, 3 seasons
Coordinator lineageOffense and defense under each coordinator.

Central Michigan’s offense and defense, by coordinator

FBS-relative efficiency percentile per season (2014–2026), same population as the Coordinator Mirror board. Dashed vertical lines mark a coordinator change.

Offense2014–2026
2014201620182020202220242026
2014–2016 · Morris Watts2017–2018 · Chris Ostrowsky2019–2020 · Charlie Frye2021 · Kevin Barbay2022–2023 · Paul Petrino2024 · Jim Chapin2025 · Jim Chapin / Derek Fulton (co)2026 · Jim Chapin (co) / Derek Fulton (co)
Defense2014–2026
2014201620182020202220242026
2014 · Joe Tumpkin2015–2018 · Greg Colby2019–2024 · Robb Akey2025 · Sean Cronin2026 · Sean Cronin
Elite (≥70th pct)AveragePoor (≤30th pct)
Gameday customsThe gameday customs unique to this program.

Rituals

Three gameday rituals — the ones outsiders never quite catch.

The Brian Kelly / Butch Jones MAC Titles (2006-2009)

since 2006

more

Brian Kelly and Butch Jones combined for three MAC Championships in four years (2006, 2007, 2009) before both left for bigger jobs -- Kelly eventually to Notre Dame and LSU, Jones to Cincinnati and Tennessee. Central Michigan's modern coaching-pipeline reputation traces directly to this stretch.

The 2009 MAC Championship: LeFevour and Brown

since 2009

more

The 2009 team beat Ohio 20-10 for the MAC title behind quarterback Dan LeFevour (3,438 passing yards, 24 TD, plus 713 rushing yards and 15 rushing TD) and All-American receiver Antonio Brown, who extended a 40-game catch streak and posted his third straight 1,000-yard receiving season in the title game itself. Brown went on to become one of the most productive wide receivers of his NFL generation.

Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Maroon and Gold

since 1972

more

The Chippewas play in maroon and gold at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Mount Pleasant, Michigan -- the program's identity colors since the school's founding-era athletics branding.

Cultural identityWhat college football loses if this program didn't exist.
BowlsLast 5 bowls 1-4, 4-10 since 1990

Recent postseason (1990-2025): 4-10

Most recent: 2025 GameAbove Sports Bowl — loss 34-7. Last 5 postseason: 1-4.

2025 L2021 W2019 L2017 L2016 L
Reddit blowupsThe plays that blew up on r/CFB.

r/CFB moments

149
[Postgame Thread] Central Michigan Defeats Buffalo 31-27
Nov 2022 · r/CFB
121
[Postgame Thread] LSU Defeats Central Michigan 49-21
Sep 2021 · r/CFB

All-time top community posts

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