Having already clinched a bowl game for the first time since 2021, the next goal for Central Michigan football is to make the Mid-American Conference Championship game. While it needs some help from fellow teams in the conference, a win against Toledo on Saturday in the final game of the regular season is imperative.

The path to the title game is simple for the Chippewas. In order to clinch a berth, CMU must get the win against the Rockets, and Miami (OH) and Ohio both need to lose in their respective games.

Ohio plays an away game against Buffalo on Friday and Miami (OH) hosts Ball State on Saturday. If all of this plays out, the Chippewas will take on Western Michigan in a rematch after already having played each other earlier this season.

In addition to playing for a spot in the championship game, Central Michigan is also taking Saturday’s game to celebrate the seniors on the squad who will play in their final home game at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

“ It will be very emotional Saturday,” head coach Matt Drinkall said. “All of Central Michigan, not like the coaches, not this team, Central Michigan University will be indebted to this senior class for the legacy that they are leaving behind forever… .You can't thank these guys enough. You can't really measure the impact that these guys have made and the sacrifices they have made to do that. So, it's gonna be a very bittersweet moment for sure.”

Meet the opponent

Toledo comes into the final game of the season with the same record as Central Michigan; 7-4 overall and 5-2 against conference opponents.

Defense is very much a strong suit for the Rockets, as they rank in the top four in almost every category on that side of the ball. The team is first in the MAC in limiting scoring, allowing opponents only an average of 13 points-per-game and having given up the least number of touchdowns in the conference at 18. With yardage, it's the same story, with Toledo allowing only 240.9 yards-per-game, over 60 yards less than the next best team.

Rushing defense in particular should come into play on Saturday. Again, Toledo is first in the MAC in total yards allowed by opponents’ rushing attack, allowing just 92.2 per-game. Central Michigan comes into the game having the third best rushing game in the conference, averaging 177.5 yards-per-game, setting up a strength against strength matchup.

On the other side of the ball, the Rockets have been almost just as successful. Toledo has the highest scoring offense in the conference, averaging 32.5 points-per-game. The passing attack is where Toledo thrives, averaging 247.5 yards-per-game and totaling 25 touchdowns.

The Rockets are led by senior quarterback Tucker Gleason, who has 2,417 total yards on the season. The rushing attack is spearheaded by senior Chip Trayanum, who has 856 yards in nine games, and junior Kenji Christian, who has 473 yards in 11 games. The Rockets receiving corps includes senior Junior Vandeross III, who leads the MAC with 876 total yards, 11 touchdowns and is averaging almost 80 yards-per-game. Senior Trayvon Rudolph is second on the team in receiving, with 407 yards.

Keys to victory

Central Michigan’s run game has been its identity throughout the entire season. However, according to Drinkall, the game play has shifted a little lately with the absence of quarterback Angel Flores, who still leads the team in rushing yards despite missing the last three games with an injury.

Coming into the game against Toledo, Drinkall expects the offense to be more even than has been seen before.

“We're gonna try to take the air outta the ball a little bit and do what they don't see a whole ton of which is huddle and slow the pace down and be really, really balanced,” Drinkall said. “Once Angel Flores went down, our run profile has changed quite a bit. So you're not seeing us rush for quite as many yards, but our run efficiency is still really good. And then we're obviously throwing it much better since Joe's (Labas) kind of taken the reigns. So, you'll see us probably be a little bit more balanced than we have in the past.”

On defense, Drinkall wants his team to be ready for several different aspects of the Toledo offense.

“They're really talented up front,” Drinkall said. “Their quarterback is a veteran guy who makes really good decisions. And the big thing is gonna be forcing them to have to execute a lot of plays against us as opposed to trying to stop one specific thing and then they bust you on a big one.”

When asked if the team was feeling pressure heading into the matchup, Drinkall said, “The exact opposite is true.”

“All the pressure is on Toledo,” he said. “They're the ones who are the reigning conference guys that always do well. … We're 10-and-a-half point underdogs. All the pressure's on those guys. We're gonna come out here and play our brand of football and have an absolute blast. And I can't promise whether we'll win or lose, but I'm gonna tell you right now, we're gonna have fun playing hard and honoring our seniors that way and we'll see what happens.”

Central Michigan (7-4) vs. Toledo (7-4)

Time: 12 p.m. ET

Date: Saturday, Nov. 29

Stadium: Kelly/Shorts Stadium

Location: Mount Pleasant, MI

TV: ESPN+