Central Michigan Football: Will Chippewas sustain momentum after surprising 2019?

After a surprising 2019 season that ended with a division championship, Central Michigan football is looking to keep the momentum going and avoid a letdown.

Central Michigan football was coming off a horrible 1-11 season in 2018 and had just fired head coach John Bonamego before the surprise that was 2019 under Jim McElwain.

The Chippewas have always done a solid job in the MAC, but have not won a league title since 2009 when they had star quarterback Dan Lefevour so they really needed to make a solid hire as a program if they wanted to reach that level again as a program.

McElwain had a mildly-successful run as the head coach of the Florida Gators, including two SEC East titles, but that was not enough for the demanding fanbase in Gainesville. He and the athletic department decided to mutually part ways midway through his third season in 2017.

McElwain proceeded to be Michigan’s wide receivers coach in 2018 and then landed the job with Central Michigan which was in need of a coach with his resume and background. He pulled off one of the more impressive coaching jobs in the entire country, guiding the Chippewas to an 8-6 record that included a surprise appearance in the MAC title and a bowl game.

Losing both of those games put a little bit of a damper on how good of a year that Central Michigan had, but they are hoping to regain form and be more of the team that saw them win six of their last seven regular season games and not the one that got blown out by San Diego State in the bowl game.

Central Michigan has the kind of team that could win another division championship and take the MAC title.