2020 Central Michigan
3–3 (3–3 Mid-American Conference), coached by Jim McElwain. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Northern Illinois 40–10Nov 11
By 30 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Ohio 30–27Nov 4
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 4 | vs Ohio | W 30–27 | 48% |
| Nov 11 | at Northern Illinois | W 40–10 | 52% |
| Nov 18 | vs Western Michigan | L 44–52 | 56% |
| Nov 27 | at Eastern Michigan | W 31–23 | 56% |
| Dec 5 | vs Ball State | L 20–45 | 62% |
| Dec 12 | at Toledo | L 23–24 | 38% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Toledo 24–23; unranked in the final AP poll; 8th in the Mid-American Conference.
In program history: The 27th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 68 on file).
- Record
- 3–3
- Conference
- 3–3 8th in Mid-American Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 188–181
- Coach
- Jim McElwain
- Elo
- 1463 −6 this season
- SP+ rating
- -1.8 No. 79 of 130; offense No. 86, defense No. 62
- Returning
- 89% of last season’s EPA, No. 9 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 123 roster talent No. 105 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Charlie Frye
- Defensive coordinator
- Robb Akey
- Offense
- Spread
- Defense
- 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.12 | 42% | 1.32 | 58th of 127 |
| Defense | 0.04 | 41% | 1.36 | 36th of 127 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.12 off 0.05 def | 41% off 39% def | — | 57th off 28th 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 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.1 | own 32 | 16% allowed |
| Defense | 3.3 | own 30 | 17% caused |
CORE rating 7.0, 36th of 127 (offense -3.3, defense -10.3).
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 yards | Daniel Richardson QB | 666 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Daniel Richardson QB | 3 TD |
| Rushing yards | Lew Nichols RB | 508 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Kobe Lewis RB | 5 TD |
| Receiving yards | Kalil Pimpleton WR | 257 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Kalil Pimpleton WR | 2 TD |
| Tackles | George Douglas LB | 45 tkl |
| Sacks | Troy Hairston DL | 5.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Willey Reid DB | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2020 class
| Jordon Ingram ATH | ★★★ | No. 554 |
| Daedae Hill CB | ★★★ | No. 1249 |
| Nahree Biggins WR | ★★★ | No. 1774 |
| Myles Bailey RB | ★★★ | No. 1824 |
| Keegan Smith OG | ★★★ | No. 1964 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2020 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.815 |
| Running backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.817 |
| Receivers | 7 | 2.6 | 0.805 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.814 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 2.3 | 0.789 |
| Linebackers | 4 | 2.5 | 0.781 |
| Defensive backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.849 |
| Athletes and specialists | 2 | 3.0 | 0.844 |
| Whole class | 23 | 2.7 | 0.807 |
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.
Roster 129
The 2020 roster129 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 44 have a stat line. See the roster
2020 Mid-American Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 Buffalo | 5–0 | 6–1 | 25 |
| Ball State | 5–1 | 7–1 | 23 |
 Kent State | 3–1 | 3–1 | |
| Toledo | 4–2 | 4–2 | |
| Western Michigan | 4–2 | 4–2 | |
| Ohio | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
 Miami (OH) | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
 Central Michigan | 3–3 | 3–3 | |
| Eastern Michigan | 2–4 | 2–4 | |
 Akron | 1–5 | 1–5 | |
| Northern Illinois | 0–6 | 0–6 | |
 Bowling Green | 0–5 | 0–5 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.