Central Michigan Chippewas
Mid-AmericanMount Pleasant, MIKelly/Shorts Stadium
2026: 3–4 (1–2 Mid-American). Last: lost to Western Michigan 21–14 at home. Next: Miami (OH), Saturday, Oct 24, 1 p.m. ET.
- L 7–38at New Mexico
- W 13–10Colgate
- W 24–10Wyoming
- L 3–52at No. 6 Miami
- W 41–17Akron
- L 14–31at Ohio
- L 14–21Western Michigan
- Oct 24Miami (OH)
- Nov 4vs. Eastern Michigan
- Nov 11Sacramento State
- Nov 18at Buffalo
- Nov 28at Ball State
Central Michigan has played football since 1896 and is officially 658–464–36; 622 of its 1,158 games are in our file. Their best finish in the final AP poll is No. 23, in 2009. They have won nine Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles (the last in 1968) and seven Mid-American Conference titles, counting shared titles. Since 1957, the NFL Draft has taken 24 players from here in its first seven rounds, 2 of them in the first round. The College Football Hall of Fame holds 2 coaches from Central Michigan. Herb Deromedi (1978–1993) won more games here than any other coach: 110. The most-played rival is Western Michigan: 61 meetings, Central Michigan leads 32–28–1. This season, under Matt Drinkall, they’re 3–4.
Résumé
- All-time record
- 658–464–36 official; 322–289–11 on file; how we count
- Postseason
- 4–10 matches the official bowl record
- AP No. 1 finishes
- 0
- Weeks at No. 1
- 0 of 1 ranked
- Elo now
- 1436 105th of 138 FBS
- Computer rankings
- Massey No. 116 · Composite No. 101 in FBS, Oct 17; down 2 since Oct 11. From Massey Ratings
- Conference titles
- 16 last in 2009
- Seasons
- 68 since 1931, 622 games
Identity
2026 season 3–4
RosterFull 2026 season| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5 | at New Mexico | L 7–38 | 31% |
| Sep 12 | vs Colgate | W 13–10 | 74% |
| Sep 19 | vs Wyoming | W 24–10 | 64% |
| Sep 26 | at 6Miami | L 3–52 | 13% |
| Oct 3 | vs Akron | W 41–17 | 68% |
| Oct 10 | at Ohio | L 14–31 | 31% |
| Oct 17 | vs Western Michigan | L 14–21 | 41% |
| Oct 24 | vs Miami (OH) | Preview | 50% |
| Nov 4 | vs Eastern Michigan | Preview | 54% |
| Nov 11 | vs Sacramento State | Preview | 80% |
| Nov 18 | at Buffalo | Preview | 37% |
| Nov 28 | at Ball State | Preview | 56% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
This season, game by game
Future schedule
2027–32- 20274 games: 2 home, 2 away, non-conference only
- MonmouthSept. 2
- at Michigan StateSept. 11
- Old DominionSept. 18
- at WyomingSept. 25
- 20292 games: 1 home, 1 away, non-conference only
- New MexicoSept. 8
- at RutgersSept. 15
- 20303 games: 1 home, 2 away, non-conference only
- at Michigan StateAug. 31
- TroySept. 7
- at San Diego StateSept. 21
- 20321 game: 1 away, non-conference only
- at Old DominionSept. 18
Central Michigan’s announced games beyond the seasons on our schedule, as its Wikipedia article lists them (announced schedules as of July 29, 2026). Schedules change; a season shows only the games named so far, and many articles list non-conference games only. Future schedules: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
On the 2026 team
- Angel H Flores475 passing yards, 2 TD; 618 rushing yards, 4 TD (leads Central Michigan in passing yards)
- Mayson Hitchens51 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 1 INT
- Brett McCalla50 tackles, 1.5 sacks
- Xavier White52 tackles, 0.5 sacks (leads Central Michigan in tackles)
- Darrell Bryant Jr.43 tackles, 1 INT
- Justin Taylor38 tackles, 2 INT (leads Central Michigan in interceptions)
Program greats See all
Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at Central Michigan.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
Around the program
- Student section
- Snake Pit · Official source
- Central Michigan University Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Athletic director
- Amy Folan · Official source
- Central Michigan University Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Offensive coordinator
- Jim Chapin · Official source
- Central Michigan University Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Defensive coordinator
- Sean Cronin · Official source
- Central Michigan University Athletics; read 2026-10-10
Found by several AI researchers searching the web, then kept only where the page loads and says so in words naming the program; every quote is checked again each time the data is rebuilt. Official source: the school’s own page. All of them.
The apparel deal
Adidas. Extension announced in October 2018.
- CMU Athletics, Oct 3, 2018: Partnership extension announced
Apparel deals: Field Drip. Terms as the outlets reported them; checked Oct 3, 2026. Our own research hasn’t confirmed the outfitter yet.
Program strength since 1931
Best seasons everMore coverage
- Central Michigan seeks response, rivalry win against Western Michigan, macombdaily.com,
- Ohio Football dominates Central Michigan on homecoming, woub.org,
- Nick Poulos throws 3 TD passes, helps Ohio beat Central Michigan 31-14 for 16th straight win at home, themorningsun.com,
- Ohio University Football's 15-game home streak sets the tone as Central Michigan walks into a brutal road test, el-balad.com,
- Central Michigan Life - The Brit coaching the world's game, cm-life.com,
Found through the GDELT Project, which indexes news sites worldwide. Each link opens the story on the outlet’s own site; each picture is that outlet’s own preview of its story, shown from its site and credited to it.
Head coaches
| Coach | Years | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Drinkall | 2025–2026 | 10–10 |
 Jim McElwain | 2019–2024 | 33–36 |
| John Bonamego | 2015–2018 | 22–29 |
 Dan Enos | 2010–2014 | 26–36 |
| Steve Stripling | 2009 | 1–0 |
 Butch Jones | 2007–2009 | 27–13 |
| Jeff Quinn | 2006 | 1–0 |
 Brian Kelly | 2004–2006 | 19–16 |
| Mike DeBord | 2000–2003 | 12–34 |
| Dick Flynn | 1994–1999 | 30–37 |
| Herb Deromedi | 1978–1993 | 110–55–10 |
| Roy Kramer | 1975–1977 | 25–7–1 |
Most-played series
All rivalries- Western Michigan
32–28–1 in 61
- 2017 W 35–28
- 2018 L 10–35
- 2019 L 15–31
- 2020 L 44–52
- 2021 W 42–30
- 2022 L 10–12
- 2023 L 28–38
- 2024 W 16–14
- 2025 L 21–24
- 2026 L 14–21
Lost the last two.
- Toledo
18–31–3 in 52
- 2016 L 17–31
- 2017 L 10–30
- 2018 L 13–51
- 2019 W 49–7
- 2020 L 23–24
- 2021 W 26–23
- 2022 L 17–38
- 2023 L 17–32
- 2024 L 10–37
- 2025 L 3–21
Lost the last four.
- Eastern Michigan
34–15–2 in 51
- 2016 L 21–26
- 2017 W 42–30
- 2018 L 7–17
- 2019 W 42–16
- 2020 W 31–23
- 2021 W 31–10
- 2022 L 19–38
- 2023 W 26–23
- 2024 L 34–38
- 2025 W 24–13
Won the last one.
Next: Nov 4
| Opponent | Games | CMU record |
|---|---|---|
| Western Michigan | 61 | 32–28–1 |
| Toledo | 52 | 18–31–3 |
| Eastern Michigan | 51 | 34–15–2 |
| Ball State | 49 | 22–26–1 |
| Northern Illinois | 39 | 21–18 |
| Ohio | 37 | 27–8–2 |
| Kent State | 35 | 26–9 |
| Bowling Green | 33 | 17–16 |
Rivals the program names: Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan.
Every opponent (97)
Every program Central Michigan has played, A to Z, with Central Michigan’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.
- Akron 19–8–1
- Alcorn State 2–1
- Arizona 0–1
- Arkansas State 0–1
- Army 2–0
- Ball State 22–26–1
- Boise State 2–2
- Boston College 0–4
- Bowling Green 17–16
- Bucknell 1–0
- Buffalo 9–4
- Central Connecticut 1–0
- Chattanooga 1–0
- Cincinnati 1–0
- Clemson 0–1
- Colgate 1–0
- Dayton 2–0
- Detroit Mercy 0–5
- East Carolina 1–2
- Eastern Illinois 2–0
- Eastern Kentucky 2–0
- Eastern Michigan 34–15–2
- Florida 0–1
- Florida Atlantic 0–1
- Florida International 1–1
- Georgia 0–1
- Hampton 1–0
- Idaho 2–0
- Illinois 0–1
- Illinois State 5–0
- Indiana 1–3
- Indiana State 2–0
- Iowa 1–2
- Kansas 1–3
- Kent State 26–9
- Kentucky 0–7
- Louisiana 1–1
- Louisiana Tech 0–2
- LSU 0–1
- Maine 1–0
- Marshall 2–4
- Massachusetts 3–0
- Miami 0–2
- Miami (OH) 13–17–1
- Michigan 0–5
- Michigan State 3–8 †
- Middle Tennessee 1–0
- Minnesota 0–2
- Missouri 0–1
- Monmouth 1–0
- Montana State 1–0
- Navy 0–3
- NC State 0–2
- New Hampshire 3–0
- New Mexico 0–1
- New Mexico State 1–0
- North Dakota State 0–1
- Northern Illinois 21–18
- Northern Michigan 2–2
- Northwestern 0–2
- Northwestern State 2–0
- Notre Dame 0–1
- Ohio 27–8–2
- Oklahoma State 1–2
- Pacific 1–1
- Penn State 0–2
- Pittsburgh 0–1
- Presbyterian 1–0
- Purdue 1–5
- Rhode Island 1–0
- Robert Morris 1–0
- Sam Houston 1–0
- San Diego State 1–1
- San José State 2–1
- South Alabama 1–1
- South Carolina State 1–0
- Southeast Missouri State 2–0
- Southern Illinois 1–0
- Syracuse 0–4
- Temple 2–1
- Toledo 18–31–3
- Troy 1–0
- Tulsa 1–2
- UAlbany 1–0
- UCF 0–1
- UNLV 2–3
- Virginia 0–2
- Virginia Tech 0–1
- Wagner 1–0
- Washington State 1–0
- Weber State 1–0
- Western Illinois 2–0
- Western Kentucky 1–1
- Western Michigan 32–28–1
- Wisconsin 0–1
- Wyoming 2–2
- Youngstown State 1–1
Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated, or with forfeits counted. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file.
Conference titles
16, counting shared titlesAs the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.
Conferences
- Independent 1896–1926
- Michigan Collegiate Conference 1927–1930
- Independent 1931–1949
- Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 1950–1969
- Independent 1970–1974
- Mid-American Conference since 1975
Central Michigan’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time).
Led the nation 3
| 2021 | Kalil Pimpleton punt return average (19.1) |
| 2021 | Lew Nichols III rushing yards (1,848 yds) |
| 2008 | Antonio Brown punt return average (20.5) |
The NCAA’s official national leaders since 1937, from Wikipedia’s yearly leader lists.
In the Hall of Fame
Every inductee- Players
- 0
- Coaches
- 2
| 2023 | Roy Kramer coach here, 1975–1977 |
| 2007 | Herb Deromedi coach here, 1978–1993 |
In the NFL Draft
By college- Drafted, rounds 1–7
- 24 since 1957
- First-round picks
- 2
| 2013 | Eric Fisher OT | No. 1, Kansas City Chiefs |
| 2007 | Joe Staley OT | No. 28, San Francisco 49ers |
Who came and went in the 2026 transfer portal, and every portal year.
The school
Central Michigan University- Enrollment
- 14,488 10,193 undergraduates, fall 2024
- Where
- Mount Pleasant, Michigan
- Public or private
- Public Research 2
- Founded
- 1892
- Graduates’ median earnings
- $55,874 10 years after starting
Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.
Official accounts
- Football
- X @CMU_FootballInstagram @CMUFootballFacebook CMUFootball
- Athletics department
- X @CMUAthleticsInstagram @CMUAthleticsFacebook CMUAthletics
Official accounts: the schools’ athletics websites: the ones cmuchippewas.com lists for its football program and athletics department, as of Oct 12, 2026.
Season by season
National champions| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3–4 | 1–2 | Matt Drinkall | 1436 | -16.7 | ||
| 2025 | 7–6 | 5–3 | Matt Drinkall | 1430 | -8.8 | ||
| 2024 | 4–8 | 2–6 | Jim McElwain | 1340 | -15.8 | ||
| 2023 | 5–7 | 3–5 | Jim McElwain | 1399 | -19.1 | ||
| 2022 | 4–8 | 3–5 | Jim McElwain | 1440 | -14.0 | ||
| 2021 | 9–4 | 6–2 | Jim McElwain | 1596 | -1.0 | ||
| 2020 | 3–3 | 3–3 | Jim McElwain | 1463 | -1.8 | ||
| 2019 | 8–6 | 6–2 | Jim McElwain | 1454 | -4.4 | ||
| 2018 | 1–11 | 0–8 | John Bonamego | 1287 | -20.0 | ||
| 2017 | 8–5 | 6–2 | John Bonamego | 1495 | -8.6 | ||
| 2016 | 6–7 | 3–5 | John Bonamego | 1427 | -6.1 | ||
| 2015 | 7–6 | 6–2 | John Bonamego | 1511 | -3.1 | ||
| 2014 | 7–6 | 5–3 | Dan Enos | 1480 | -5.2 | ||
| 2013 | 6–6 | 5–3 | Dan Enos | 1436 | -18.8 | ||
| 2012 | 7–6 | 4–4 | Dan Enos | 1412 | -11.6 | ||
| 2011 | 3–9 | 2–6 | Dan Enos | 1340 | -18.9 | ||
| 2010 | 3–9 | 2–6 | Dan Enos | 1437 | -14.7 | ||
| 2009 | 12–2 | 8–0 | 23 | Butch Jones, Steve Stripling | 1652 | 3.5 | |
| 2008 | 8–5 | 6–2 | Butch Jones | 1514 | -5.6 | ||
| 2007 | 8–6 | 6–1 | Butch Jones | 1536 | -10.6 | ||
| 2006 | 10–4 | 7–1 | Brian Kelly, Jeff Quinn | 1600 | -6.1 | ||
| 2005 | 6–5 | 5–3 | Brian Kelly | 1435 | -8.1 | ||
| 2004 | 4–7 | 3–5 | Brian Kelly | 1286 | -22.2 | ||
| 2003 | 3–9 | 1–7 | Mike DeBord | 1276 | -22.8 | ||
| 2002 | 4–8 | 2–6 | Mike DeBord | 1312 | -18.7 |
Every season back to 1931 (43 more)
| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 3–8 | 2–6 | Mike DeBord | 1308 | -15.6 | ||
| 2000 | 2–9 | 2–6 | Mike DeBord | 1290 | -17.8 | ||
| 1999 | 4–7 | 3–5 | Dick Flynn | 1357 | -23.6 | ||
| 1998 | 6–5 | 5–3 | Dick Flynn | 1390 | -15.0 | ||
| 1997 | 2–9 | 1–7 | Dick Flynn | 1277 | -17.8 | ||
| 1996 | 5–6 | 4–4 | Dick Flynn | 1443 | -11.7 | ||
| 1995 | 4–7 | 2–6 | Dick Flynn | 1440 | -9.4 | ||
| 1994 | 9–3 | 8–1 | Dick Flynn | 1531 | 2.2 | ||
| 1993 | 5–6 | 5–4 | Herb Deromedi | 1482 | -5.7 | ||
| 1992 | 5–6 | 4–5 | Herb Deromedi | 1519 | 4.9 | ||
| 1991 | 6–1–4 | 3–1–4 | Herb Deromedi | 1575 | -2.0 | ||
| 1990 | 8–3–1 | 7–1 | Herb Deromedi | 1525 | 3.2 | ||
| 1989 | 5–5–1 | 5–2–1 | Herb Deromedi | 1486 | 0.3 | ||
| 1988 | 7–4 | 5–3 | Herb Deromedi | 1522 | 5.4 | ||
| 1987 | 5–5–1 | 3–4–1 | Herb Deromedi | 1484 | -5.6 | ||
| 1986 | 5–5 | 4–4 | Herb Deromedi | 1477 | -9.8 | ||
| 1985 | 7–3 | 6–3 | Herb Deromedi | 1587 | 2.5 | ||
| 1984 | 8–2–1 | 6–2–1 | Herb Deromedi | 1620 | 6.5 | ||
| 1983 | 8–3 | 7–2 | Herb Deromedi | 1623 | 8.6 | ||
| 1982 | 6–4–1 | 5–3–1 | Herb Deromedi | 1534 | 0.0 | ||
| 1981 | 7–4 | 7–2 | Herb Deromedi | 1583 | 6.4 | ||
| 1980 | 9–2 | 7–2 | Herb Deromedi | 1619 | 6.4 | ||
| 1979 | 10–0–1 | 8–0–1 | Herb Deromedi | 1681 | 15.3 | ||
| 1978 | 9–2 | 8–1 | Herb Deromedi | 1651 | 18.6 | ||
| 1977 | 10–1 | 7–1 | Roy Kramer | 1598 | 10.5 | ||
| 1976 | 7–4 | 4–3 | Roy Kramer | 1422 | -6.1 | ||
| 1975 | 8–2–1 | 4–1–1 | Roy Kramer | 1444 | 12.2 | ||
| 1974 | 3–1 | 1302 | |||||
| 1973 | 1–3 | 1163 | |||||
| 1972 | 0–1 | 1112 | |||||
| 1970 | 0–1 | 1096 | |||||
| 1969 | 0–1 | 1110 | |||||
| 1966 | 0–1 | 1123 | |||||
| 1965 | 0–1 | 1142 | |||||
| 1964 | 1–0 | 1180 | |||||
| 1963 | 1–0 | 1143 | |||||
| 1962 | 0–1 | 1084 | |||||
| 1947 | 0–1 | 1092 | |||||
| 1941 | 0–1 | 1093 | |||||
| 1939 | 0–1 | 1094 | |||||
| 1935 | 0–1 | 1094 | |||||
| 1934 | 0–1 | 1096 | |||||
| 1931 | 0–1 | 1098 |
Officially 658–464–36 since 1896 (per Wikipedia, through the 2025 season); game by game here, 322–289–11 (622 of its 1,158 games are on file). Our file starts in 1931; the program began in 1896. Some games are missing from our source.
No season on file for 1932–33, 1936–38, 1940, 1942–46, 1948–61, 1967–68, 1971: the program may not have played, or our source may be missing them.
Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.