Central Michigan Football: Can CMU compete for conference title again?

After a stepback in 2020, can Central Michigan Football regain its form and challenge for the MAC title in 2021?

After Jim McElwain parted ways with Florida after the 2018 season, many analysts thought that it was a home run hire for Central Michigan football to grab the former Gators coach, who did win two SEC East titles while in Gainesville.

It was not long before the Chippewas were competing in the conference and after going 1-11 in 2018, CMU turned itself around and won the MAC West and competed for the conference title. 2020 was a slight step backward, as CMU went 3-3 in its abbreviated season, although most of their losses were pretty close games. With nearly the entire team returning in 2021, Central Michigan has its eyes set on getting back to the MAC championship and winning it this time.

Central Michigan has long been one of the better programs in the MAC and since hiring McElwain, the goal has to been to get back to winning games and being the program they were for most of the time since 2000. From the days of Brian Kelly and Butch Jones, CMU has been a place to win and coaches to elevate their careers. Since McElwain flamed out a bit at Florida, the hope is that he can be there for the long term and help continue to build this program.

Central Michigan can be considered a team that got a bit unlucky in 2020. All but one of their losses was within one score and one or two plays in those games could have made the difference. With 21 starters returning, Central Michigan is in a prime position to make a run at the conference championship and get back to a bowl game. This is a team to keep your eye on and be sure to watch every week in MACtion.