CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2017 Central Michigan

8–⁠5 (6–⁠2 Mid-American Conference), coached by John Bonamego.

Schedule and results

Central Michigan in 2017, game by game: won vs. Rhode Island 30–27; won at Kansas 45–27; lost at Syracuse 17–41; lost vs. Miami (OH) 14–31; lost at Boston College 8–28; won at Ohio 26–23; lost vs. Toledo 10–30; won at Ball State 56–9; won at Western Michigan 35–28; won vs. Eastern Michigan 42–30; won at Kent State 42–23; won vs. Northern Illinois 31–24; lost vs. Wyoming 14–37+47−24Won 30–27 vs. Rhode Island+3Rhode IslandWon 45–27 at Kansas+18KansasLost 17–41 at Syracuse-24SyracuseLost 14–31 vs. Miami (OH)-17Miami (OH)Lost 8–28 at Boston College-20Boston CollegeWon 26–23 at Ohio+3OhioLost 10–30 vs. Toledo-20ToledoWon 56–9 at Ball State+47Ball StateWon 35–28 at Western Michigan+7Western MichiganWon 42–30 vs. Eastern Michigan+12Eastern MichiganWon 42–23 at Kent State+19Kent StateWon 31–24 vs. Northern Illinois+7Northern Illino…Lost 14–37 vs. Wyoming-23Wyoming
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 31vsRhode IslandW 30–⁠2785%
Sep 9atKansasW 45–⁠2754%
Sep 16atSyracuseL 17–⁠4151%
Sep 23vsMiami (OH)L 14–⁠3161%
Sep 30atBoston CollegeL 8–⁠2839%
Oct 7atOhioW 26–⁠2326%
Oct 14vsToledoL 10–⁠3031%
Oct 21atBall StateW 56–⁠944%
Nov 1atWestern MichiganW 35–⁠2820%
Nov 8vsEastern MichiganW 42–⁠3066%
Nov 14atKent StateW 42–⁠2372%
Nov 24vsNorthern IllinoisW 31–⁠2449%
Dec 22Bowls & playoffvsWyomingFamous Idaho Potato BowlL 14–⁠3754%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Wyoming 37–⁠14 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 2nd in the Mid-American Conference.

In program history: The 21st-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 68 on file).

Record
8–⁠5
Conference
6–⁠2 tied for 2nd in Mid-American Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
370–⁠358
Coach
John Bonamego
Elo
1495 +44 this season
SP+ rating
-8.6 No. 98 of 128; offense No. 109, defense No. 68, special teams No. 114
SRS
−6.3 No. 89 of 130 in FBS
Returning
65% of last season’s EPA, No. 55 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 93 roster talent No. 89 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Chris Ostrowsky
Defensive coordinator
Greg Colby

How good, play by play

  • Offense102nd of 130
  • Defense27th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted108th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted49th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0238%1.33102nd of 130
Defense-0.0140%1.0827th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.03 off
0.06 def		39% off
43% def		—108th off
49th def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense3.1own 2919% allowed
Defense3.2own 3415% caused

CORE rating 0.3, 63rd of 130 (offense -4.0, defense -4.2).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsShane Morris QB3,237 yds
Passing touchdownsShane Morris QB27 TD
Rushing yardsJonathan Ward RB1,017 yds
Rushing touchdownsJonathan Ward RB10 TD
Receiving yardsMark Chapman WR875 yds
Receiving touchdownsCorey Willis WR9 TD
TacklesMalik Fountain LB89 tkl
SacksJoe Ostman DL14 sacks
InterceptionsJosh Cox DB6 INT

Top recruits in the 2017 class

Keegan Cossou TE★★★No. 1012
Jacorey Sullivan WR★★★No. 1408
Johnathan Berghorst SDE★★★No. 1442
Troy Brown ATH★★★No. 1508
Erik Ditzhazy OT★★★No. 1607

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2017 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Running backs12.00.795
Receivers72.40.794
Offensive line42.50.794
Defensive line32.30.798
Linebackers42.00.779
Defensive backs42.30.786
Athletes and specialists32.30.786
Whole class262.30.790

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2018

The 2018 draft
Rd 5Tyler Conklin TEMinnesota Vikings

Roster 105

The 2017 roster

105 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2017 line; 60 have a stat line. See the roster

2017 Mid-American Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Toledo7–⁠111–⁠3
Northern Illinois6–⁠28–⁠5
Central Michigan6–⁠28–⁠5
Akron6–⁠27–⁠7
Ohio5–⁠39–⁠4
Buffalo4–⁠46–⁠6
Western Michigan4–⁠46–⁠6
Miami (OH)4–⁠45–⁠7
Eastern Michigan3–⁠55–⁠7
Bowling Green2–⁠62–⁠10
Kent State1–⁠72–⁠10
Ball State0–⁠82–⁠10

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.