2026 Central Michigan
3–4 (1–2 Mid-American Conference), coached by Matt Drinkall. The season’s Wikipedia article records 3–3, over six games to the seven on file here. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Akron 41–17Oct 3
By 24 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Colgate 13–10Sep 12
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| 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.
- Record
- 3–4
- Conference
- 1–2 tied for 8th in Mid-American Conference
- AP now
- Unranked
- Points
- 116–179
- Coach
- Matt Drinkall
- Elo
- 1436 −18 this season
- SP+ rating
- -16.7 No. 126 of 138; offense No. 128, defense No. 109, special teams No. 112
- SRS
- −11.0 No. 111 of 138 in FBS
- Returning
- 54% of last season’s EPA, No. 51 of 136
- Recruiting class
- No. 95 roster talent No. 125 in FBS
- Offensive coordinators
- Jim Chapin and Derek Fulton
- Defensive coordinator
- Sean Cronin
- Offense
- Pro spread
- Defense
- 3–4
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.08 | 40% | 1.25 | 85th of 138 |
| Defense | 0.21 | 48% | 1.12 | 112th of 138 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.08 off 0.14 def | 39% off 46% def | — | 82nd off 98th def |
Passing and running
| Pass success | Depth of target | Deep throws | Line yards | Stuffed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 30% | 8.5 yds | 14% | 3.50 | 11% |
| Defense | 44% | 9.1 yds | 16% | 3.60 | 12% |
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. Passing and running: depth of target is how far downfield passes traveled in the air; deep throws are the share thrown deep, of the passes whose depth and direction the play-by-play describes (about half); line yards are the running yards per carry credited to the blockers; stuffed is the share of carries stopped at or behind the line. The defense’s line is what its opponents did. From CollegeFootballData.com, 2025 on.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.1 | own 27 | 14% allowed |
| Defense | 3.6 | own 31 | 14% caused |
CORE rating -11.8, 111th of 138 (offense -3.7, defense 8.1).
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 | Angel H Flores QB | 475 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Angel H Flores QB | 2 TD |
| Rushing yards | Angel H Flores QB | 618 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Angel H Flores QB | 4 TD |
| Receiving yards | Langston Lewis WR | 216 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Jaden Allen TE | 1 TD |
| Tackles | Xavier White LB | 52 tkl |
| Sacks | Jaxon Cherry DL | 3 sacks |
| Interceptions | Justin Taylor DB | 2 INT |
Top recruits in the 2026 class
| Colton Benaitis S | ★★★ | No. 1474 |
| Wyatt Graffin OL | ★★★ | No. 1474 |
| Trav Moore S | ★★★ | No. 1474 |
| Elijah Reynolds LB | ★★★ | No. 1566 |
| Kobe Hendricks RB | ★★★ | No. 1846 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2026 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.855 |
| Receivers | 4 | 3.0 | 0.835 |
| Offensive line | 5 | 3.0 | 0.841 |
| Defensive line | 5 | 3.0 | 0.831 |
| Linebackers | 3 | 3.0 | 0.837 |
| Defensive backs | 6 | 3.0 | 0.850 |
| Athletes and specialists | 6 | 2.8 | 0.829 |
| Whole class | 30 | 3.0 | 0.838 |
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 110
The 2026 roster110 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2026 line; 59 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 12
The 2026 portal
Transfers out 17
 Brenden Deasfernandes CB | ★★★ | to  Northwestern |
| Apisa Poumele OL | ★★★ | to  Coastal Carolina |
| Kalen Carroll CB | ★★★ | to  TCU |
| Langston Lewis WR | ★★★ | returned to  Central Michigan |
| Tyson Davis WR | ★★★ | to  Virginia |
| Andre Thomas LB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Bryce Rowe CB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| D.C. Temple TE | ★★★ | to  Oregon State |
| Jacob Booth OT | ★★★ | returned to Central Michigan |
| Jacob Saurbeck OT | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Jordan Kelly WR | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Kade Kostus DL | ★★★ | to  Bowling Green |
And 5 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2026 Mid-American Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 3–0 | 5–2 | |
| Western Michigan | 3–0 | 5–2 | |
| Eastern Michigan | 3–1 | 4–4 | |
 Toledo | 2–1 | 5–2 | |
| Buffalo | 2–1 | 4–3 | |
| Miami (OH) | 2–1 | 4–3 | |
 Bowling Green | 2–1 | 2–5 | |
| Central Michigan | 1–2 | 3–4 | |
| Ball State | 1–2 | 2–5 | |
 Kent State | 1–2 | 2–5 | |
 Massachusetts | 1–3 | 4–3 | |
| Sacramento State | 0–4 | 1–6 | |
| Akron | 0–3 | 1–6 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.