Central Michigan Football: Road slate pivotal for Chippewas’ 2018 success
By Zach Bigalke
Central Michigan football will try to get back to the top of the MAC West in 2018. Can the Chippewas turn things around and contend for the conference crown?
Between 2006 and 2009, Central Michigan showed promise as a MAC powerhouse. Or, more accurately, one might say it served as a sort of farm program for future Cincinnati coaches. In that four-year span, the Chippewas won three MAC championships and won 37 games. It was a turnaround dependent on two key variables: strong coaching and a high-quality quarterback.
Brian Kelly began to engineer the turnaround in Mount Pleasant, improving the team from four wins to six wins to a 10-4 MAC champion in his three seasons at Central Michigan. Butch Jones picked up when Kelly left to take over at Cincinnati. Jones won league crowns in 2007 and 2009 before following Kelly to Cincinnati, serving as Bearcats head coach when Kelly moved up to the Notre Dame job.
The second variable was four-year starter Dan LeFevour
At 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, LeFevour was a dual-threat star for Central Michigan. Winning league titles as a freshman, sophomore, and senior, LeFevour finished his college career with nearly 13,000 passing yards and 102 touchdowns through the air. Antonio Brown ended up notching 3,200 receiving yards and 22 of LeFevour’s touchdowns between 2007 and 2009.
The quarterback added 47 rushing touchdowns and almost 3,000 yards on the ground. After graduating, LeFevour spent eight years bouncing around NFL and CFL practice squads. Since Jones left for Cincinnati and LeFevour graduated, the Chippewas have been mired in mediocrity.
Dan Enos went 26-36 over five seasons before ceding the position to John Bonamego in 2015. In his first three seasons at the helm, Bonamego has taken Central Michigan to three bowl games. He could be the next coach to use CMU as a platform to step up instead of flame out.
The first step will be getting back to a bowl game. Then the Chippewas will have to finally win a bowl game under Bonamego. Will this be the year that Central Michigan finally returns to prominence in the MAC?