Ball State vs. Central Michigan
Ball State and Central Michigan have 49 meetings on file, the first in 1975; Ball State leads the series 26–22–1 in the games on file. Over the last 10 meetings it’s Central Michigan 6–4. Share
- Ball State wins
- 26
- Central Michigan wins
- 22
- Ties
- 1
- Earliest on file
- 1975
- Longest streak
- 8 Central Michigan
- Current streak
- 1 Central Michigan
- Last 10 meetings
- Central Michigan 6–4
- Most recent
- 2024
The series at a glance
| ’0 | ’1 | ’2 | ’3 | ’4 | ’5 | ’6 | ’7 | ’8 | ’9 | W–L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3–1 | ||||||||||
| 1980s | 2–7–1 | ||||||||||
| 1990s | 7–3 | ||||||||||
| 2000s | 5–5 | ||||||||||
| 2010s | 6–4 | ||||||||||
| 2020s | 3–2 |
- Average margin
- 11.1 points; 26 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
- At Ball State
- 12–12–1 Ball State’s record at home
- At Central Michigan
- 10–14 Central Michigan’s record at home
- Shutouts
- 1
Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.
Games that tell the story
- Ball State’s biggest win1978: Ball State 27, Central Michigan 0by 27 points
- Central Michigan’s biggest win2017: Central Michigan 56, Ball State 9by 47 points
- Upset2010: Ball State 31, Central Michigan 17Ball State had a 18% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Upset1990: Ball State 13, Central Michigan 3Ball State had a 28% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Upset2018: Ball State 24, Central Michigan 23Ball State had a 34% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
Coach against coach
| Years | Ball State | Series | Central Michigan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978–1984 | Dwight Wallace | 1–6 | Herb Deromedi |
| 1985–1993 | Paul Schudel | 5–3–1 | Herb Deromedi |
| 1995–1999 | Bill Lynch | 3–2 | Dick Flynn |
| 2000–2002 | Bill Lynch | 3–0 | Mike DeBord |
| 2004–2006 | Brady Hoke | 0–3 | Brian Kelly |
| 2011–2014 | Pete Lembo | 4–0 | Dan Enos |
| 2016–2018 | Mike Neu | 1–2 | John Bonamego |
| 2019–2024 | Mike Neu | 3–3 | Jim McElwain |
Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from Ball State’s side (Wallace 1–6 against Deromedi). A season split between coaches goes to the one credited with the game.
Both programs through the years
Our Elo rating at the end of each season, a measure of how strong a team was, not a forecast; 1500 is an average FBS team.
Stars of the series
Biggest days
| Joey Lynch Ball State | 22 of 34, 397 yards, 4 TD | 2004 Passing | |
| Kent Smith Central Michigan | 23 of 42, 327 yards, 3 TD | 2005 Passing | |
| Lew Nichols III Central Michigan | 32 carries, 219 yards, 3 TD | 2021 Rushing | |
| Dante Ridgeway Ball State | 10 catches, 215 yards, 1 TD | 2004 Receiving | |
| David Blackburn Central Michigan | 9 catches, 194 yards, 2 TD | 2011 Receiving | |
| Joe Ostman Central Michigan | 5 tackles, 4 sacks, 4 for loss | 2017 Defense |
Biggest days: the week’s best individual games by our big-days rule, from box scores (2004 on).
Every game
Every game is listed as played on the field.