CMU football picked to finish fourth in MAC West; Western Michigan picked to win championship
DETROIT — At this time last year, the Central Michigan football team was in the midst of breaking in a new head coach and expectations for the 2015 season were not very high.
The Chippewas were predicted to finish in fifth place in the Mid-American Conference West Division, but surprised with a 7-6 record and a four-way tie for first place in the division after winning five of their last six regular season games.
In year-two under Head Coach John Bonamego, the Chippewas have been picked to finish in fourth place in the MAC West and received two first place votes and one vote to win the whole conference. The predictions were part of the MAC Media poll, released Thursday morning.
Bonamego said the rankings don't mean much and that each team has to go out and prove itself.
"Regardless of weather you are (picked) first of fourth, you still have to play the season," he said. "It's a fictional title and fictional titles don't count for anything. We'll do our best to win every game and we'll find out at the end of the season how we measure up."
Arch-rival Western Michigan was selected as the favorite to win the team's first MAC title since 1988. The Broncos received 19 first place votes to win the West Division and 19 votes to win the conference championship.
Bowling Green was picked to win the East Division for a fourth straight year. The Falcons garnered 12 first place votes and one vote to win the MAC title.
After losing a tie-breaker to Northern Illinois last season, CMU is looking to take the next step in 2016 and make it to the MAC Championship game on Dec. 2 at Ford Field. Aside from trips to power-five opponents Oklahoma State (Sept. 10) and Virginia (Sept. 24), the schedule may be more favorable than last season, considering they'll only play five opponents that were bowl eligible in 2015.
The Chippewas host MAC opponents Ball State (Oct. 8), Kent State (Oct. 29), Ohio (Nov. 5) and arch-rival Western Michigan (Oct. 3). CMU will travel to Northern Illinois (Oct. 15), Toledo (Oct. 22), Miami of Ohio (Nov. 4) and will end the season at Eastern Michigan (Nov. 22).
CMU opens the season against Presbyterian on Thursday, Sep. 1 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium at 7 p.m.
CMU returns seven starters on offense, including senior quarterback Cooper Rush, who broke the school’s single season passing record in 2015 with 3,848 yards—previously held by Dan LeFevour.
On defense, the Chippewas bring back seven starters from a unit that finished second in the conference and 16th in the nation last season, allowing 22 points per game. The group will have to replace safety Kavon Frazier who was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of April’s NFL Draft.
The poll is voted on by members of the media covering each school.
Below is a final tally of the 2016 MAC Media poll.
Team, Points (first place votes in parenthesis)
MAC West Division
1. Western Michigan (19),144
2. Toledo (2)
3. Northern Illinois (3) ,112
4. Central Michigan (2), 98
5. Ball State, 44
6. Eastern Michigan, 35
MAC East Division
1. Bowling Green (12),136
2. Ohio (10),134
3. Akron (4),107
4. Buffalo, 75
5. Miami, 52
6. Kent State, 42
2016 Marathon MAC Championship game winner: Western Michigan (19); Toledo (2); Northern Illinois (2); Bowling Green (1); Akron (1).
