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2023 Central Michigan

5–⁠7 (3–⁠5 Mid-American Conference), coached by Jim McElwain.

Schedule and results

Central Michigan in 2023, game by game: lost at Michigan State 7–31; won vs. New Hampshire 45–42; lost at No. 9 Notre Dame 17–41; won at South Alabama 34–30; won vs. Eastern Michigan 26–23; lost at Buffalo 13–37; won vs. Akron 17–10; lost at Ball State 17–24; won vs. Northern Illinois 37–31; lost at Western Michigan 28–38; lost at Ohio 20–34; lost vs. No. 23 Toledo 17–32+7−24Lost 7–31 at Michigan State-24Michigan StateWon 45–42 vs. New Hampshire+3New HampshireLost 17–41 at No. 9 Notre Dame-24No. 9 Notre DameWon 34–30 at South Alabama+4South AlabamaWon 26–23 vs. Eastern Michigan+3Eastern MichiganLost 13–37 at Buffalo-24BuffaloWon 17–10 vs. Akron+7AkronLost 17–24 at Ball State-7Ball StateWon 37–31 vs. Northern Illinois+6Northern Illino…Lost 28–38 at Western Michigan-10Western MichiganLost 20–34 at Ohio-14OhioLost 17–32 vs. No. 23 Toledo-15No. 23 Toledo
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 1atMichigan StateL 7–⁠3135%
Sep 9vsNew HampshireW 45–⁠4266%
Sep 16at9Notre DameL 17–⁠4115%
Sep 23atSouth AlabamaW 34–⁠3025%
Sep 30vsEastern MichiganW 26–⁠2356%
Oct 7atBuffaloL 13–⁠3751%
Oct 14vsAkronW 17–⁠1077%
Oct 21atBall StateL 17–⁠2457%
Oct 31vsNorthern IllinoisW 37–⁠3156%
Nov 7atWestern MichiganL 28–⁠3842%
Nov 15atOhioL 20–⁠3426%
Nov 24vs23ToledoL 17–⁠3228%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Toledo 32–⁠17; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 7th in the Mid-American Conference.

In program history: The 41st-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 68 on file).

Record
5–⁠7
Conference
3–⁠5 tied for 7th in Mid-American Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
278–⁠373
Coach
Jim McElwain
Elo
1399 −60 this season
SP+ rating
-19.1 No. 126 of 133; offense No. 119, defense No. 112, special teams No. 122
SRS
−15.3 No. 123 of 133 in FBS
Returning
36% of last season’s EPA, No. 99 of 131
Recruiting class
No. 91 roster talent No. 125 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Paul Petrino
Defensive coordinator
Robb Akey
Offense
Multiple
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense81st of 133
  • Defense122nd of 133
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted83rd of 133
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted130th of 133
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0640%1.1981st of 133
Defense0.2445%1.28122nd of 133
Opponent-adjusted0.08 off
0.24 def		40% off
46% def		—83rd off
130th 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
Offense4.2own 2915% allowed
Defense4.4own 2915% caused

CORE rating -14.5, 116th of 133 (offense -1.8, defense 12.8).

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 yardsJase Bauer QB1,881 yds
Passing touchdownsJase Bauer QB12 TD
Rushing yardsMarion Lukes RB737 yds
Rushing touchdownsJase Bauer QB10 TD
Receiving yardsTyson Davis WR444 yds
Receiving touchdownsJesse Prewitt III WR4 TD
TacklesTrey Jones DB61 tkl
SacksJacques Bristol DL4 sacks
InterceptionsDakota Cochran LB1 INT

Top recruits in the 2023 class

Jacob Booth OT★★★No. 1219
Tyler Jefferson ATH★★★No. 1347
Brent Hoppe DE★★★No. 1481
Shatavious Hogan WR★★★No. 1541
Javorian Wimberly WR★★★No. 1636

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

The 2023 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Running backs23.00.814
Receivers53.00.826
Offensive line52.80.826
Defensive line33.00.828
Linebackers12.00.760
Defensive backs13.00.833
Athletes and specialists52.40.664
Whole class222.80.786

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 116

The 2023 roster

116 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2023 line; 57 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 2

The 2023 portal
Stephan Bracey WR★★★from Wisconsin
Jake Walrath P★★from Tarleton State

Transfers out 11

Luke Elzinga P★★★to Oklahoma
Alex Heininger OT★★★no new school on file
Daniel Richardson QB★★★to Florida Atlantic
Isaiah Rogers DL★★★no new school on file
Ormondell Dingle S★★★no new school on file
Cade Conley TE★★to Marshall
Cory Gildersleeve OLB★★no new school on file
Finn Hogan WR★★no new school on file
Fred Stokes DE★★no new school on file
Logan Guthrie OLB★★no new school on file
Tyden Ferris OL★★to Georgia State

2023 Mid-American Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Toledo8–⁠011–⁠3
Miami (OH)7–⁠111–⁠3
Ohio6–⁠210–⁠3
Bowling Green5–⁠37–⁠6
Northern Illinois5–⁠37–⁠6
Eastern Michigan4–⁠46–⁠7
Central Michigan3–⁠55–⁠7
Western Michigan3–⁠54–⁠8
Ball State3–⁠54–⁠8
Buffalo3–⁠53–⁠9
Akron1–⁠72–⁠10
Kent State0–⁠81–⁠11

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