The Central Michigan Chippewas had one of the best seasons in the nation last year winning 12 of their 14 games. Success at a small school like CMU usually brings rapid change and that is exactly what has happened. New head coach Dan Enos moves over from Michigan State taking the place of Butch Jones (now at Cincinnati). He will try and defending the MAC conference title with 12 returning starters and a huge target on their back. View the full conference breakdown in our 2010 MAC football predictions article.
Butch Jones kept the unique spread offense that Brian Kelly ran at Central Michigan prior to his departure and there was no drop off in effectiveness. The main reason for that was a four year starter at quarterback that ended up being one of the most prolific players in MAC history. Dan LeFevour was thrown into the mix back in 2006 and never looked back. The recording setting quarterback left as the conference's all-time leading passer and was the first player in NCAA history to pass for over 12,000 yards and rush for more than 2,500 yards. Whoever is the predecessor to LeFevour will not come near the numbers he put up in his four years. Look for sophomore Ryan Radcliff to likely earn the starting nod against Hampton. CMU didn't have a true running back last season, using numerous players in the backfield to give different looks to the defense. Bryan Schroeder was second on the team in rushing, but left the team during spring practice. Junior Paris Cotton should slide into the starting role and have much better numbers than the just over 200 yards collected on the ground in 2009. The Chippewas no longer have the benefit of Antonio Brown and Bryan Anderson at wide receiver. Brown was their go to guy last year, catching 110 passes for 1198 yards and nine touchdowns. Anderson was reliable in all facets of the game and recorded 64 receptions for 784 yards. Expect Kito Poblah to cover up some of the lost production, but after him the receiving core looks to be a bit suspect. The offensive line will be one of the stronger units in the MAC, returning four of five starters from last season led by 2nd team all-conference C Colin Miller.
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The defense was a solid group in 2009 and will play a much larger role this season with the offense losing some explosiveness. The captain of this unit is undoubtedly MLB Nick Bellore. Earning All-American status in the MAC is not an easy accomplishment, but Bellore pulled it off last season. His 132 tackles led the team along with an outstanding 10 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He returns for his senior season alongside veteran LB Matt Berning to form the top LB units in the conference. Berning tallied 108 stops a year ago with three sacks. The defensive line returns two starters at defensive tackle. Sean Murnane enters his third season as a starter and has been all-conference twice. CMU has been notoriously good at defending the run, allowing 123 yards on the ground/game last year. Defending the pass could be a major issue with only one returning starter in this group. FS Bobby Seay is a solid contributor to the defense and made 60 tackles in 09'. There is a poss ibility that two sophomores will get the start at corner with Purdue transfer LaVarus Williams the most talented of the younger players. He has good size and will be a key on the defensive side of the ball this season.
Central Michigan plays a road dominated schedule with 7 of their 12 games being played away from home. A trip to Virginia Tech in the middle of the season offers the most stern test for the Chippewas this year. Their conference schedule features tough match-ups on the road against Temple on September 11th and at Northern Illinois October 23rd. CMU has gotten use to winning seasons and conference championships, but this season will be the exception as I only see five wins happening.
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