News & Notes: Football Opens 2026 Season at New Mexico Saturday Night

GAME 1: CENTRAL MICHIGAN (7-6, 5-3 MAC) at NEW MEXICO (9-4, 6-2 MOUNTAIN WEST)
Season Opener
Saturday, September 5, 2026 • 10:10 p.m. ET/8:10 p.m. MT • Albuquerque, N.M. • University Stadium (39,224)

SATURDAY MATCHUP

Television: FS1 (Carlo Jimenez, play-by-play; Petros Papadakis, analyst; Max Leinwand, producer).

Chippewa Sports Radio Network: Adam Jaksa, play-by-play; Brock Gutierrez, color analyst; spotter: Steve Powers; hosts: Nathan Arbaugh, Kyle Sandel.

Live Stats: visit https://cmuchippewas.com/sidearmstats/football/summary

CMU Social Media: Twitter (@cmu_football); Facebook (@cmufootball); Instagram (cmufootball); Website: www.cmuchippewas.com.

Coaches: Central Michigan-Matt Drinkall, 2^nd year at CMU (7-6 in 2025), 7^th year overall (49-23), 23^rd year in coaching. New Mexico- Jason Eck, 2^nd year at UNM (9-4), 4^th year overall (35-17).

Series: Central Michigan and New Mexico meet for the first time in college football. For the second straight year, CMU opens a season by playing a Mountain West opponent as it defeated San Jose State, 16-14, in the 2025 season opener. The Chippewas are 36-31-1 all-time vs. Mountain West opponents.,

The Essentials: Central Michigan (7-6, 5-3 MAC in 2025) opens its 2026 season and its 126th year of football on the road when it plays at New Mexico (9-4, 6-2 Mountain West) on Saturday, Sept. 5 at University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET/8 p.m. MT.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN GAME NOTES

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M..–Central Michigan (7-6, 5-3 MAC in 2025) opens its 2026 season on the road when it plays at New Mexico (9-4, 6-2 Mountain West in 2025) on Saturday, Sept. 5. Kickoff is at 10:10 p.m. ET/8:10 p.m. MT for an FS1 national broadcast.

The game pairs two teams that are coming off postseason bowl berths and combined for a 16-10 record in 2025. Central Michigan has been picked to finish anywhere between No. 3 and No. 6 in the MAC standings, while New Mexico is slated to finish either 1-2 in the Mountain West preseason polls.

The Chippewas have won two straight season openers and open their second straight season at a Mountain West Conference opponent. Last year, Central Michigan opened its season with a 16-14 win at San Jose State.

Central Michigan visits Albuquerque, N.M. and University Stadium for the second time in program history. In 2019, the Chippewas were selected to play San Diego State in the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 21, 2019. University Stadium was then known as Dreamstyle Stadium. San Diego State won the game 49-11.

With seven wins in 2025, Central Michigan advanced to a bowl game for the first time in four seasons and since the 2021 season. The Chippewas made their 16th all-time bowl game appearance at the GameAbove Sports Bowl against Northwestern at Ford Field in Detroit. With seven victories, the Chippewas won more games than they did in each of the previous three seasons (4 in 2022, 5 in 2023, and 4 in 2024). CMU's seven wins are its most since it went 9-4 in 2021. In all seven wins, Central Michigan limited each of its opponents to 20 points or less. CMU was 7-2 when leading at halftime, 6-3 when leading at the end of the first quarter, 6-2 when leading time of possession, and 4-1 in home games.

Central Michigan returns a total of 13 starters from last year's team, including 10 on offense and three on defense. The Chippewas added 36 transfers to its roster.

Ranked as one of the nation's top-40 winningest FBS programs of all-time, Central Michigan has 12 players currently on National Football League rosters.

SATURDAY'S TOP STORYLINES

Central Michigan opens its 126th football season at New Mexico on Saturday.
For the second consecutive year, CMU opens a season on the road at a Mountain West Conference opponent. It defeated San Jose State, 16-14, in last year's season opener.
CMU is coming off a 2025 campaign where it finished 7-6 overall, 5-3 in the MAC, and advanced to a bowl game for the first time in four years (since 2021.
Head coach Matt Drinkall begins his second year at Central Michigan.
CMU returns 13 players who started a significant amount of games in 2025.

PRESEASON EXPECTATIONS

Central Michigan will enter the 2026 season with high expectations. Preseason magazines have picked the Chippewas to finish somewhere between the No. 3 and No. 6 spots in the 13-team Mid-American Conference standings. All of the publications have CMU listed as "bowl bound."

Mid-American Conference coaches picked Central Michigan to finish fifth in its annual preseason poll.

Here is a look at where each preseason publication picked the Chippewas to finish:
3rd place • Athlon Magazine
4th place • Lindy's Magazine
5th place • MAC coaches
5th place • ESPN.com
5th place • The Sporting News Magazine
6th place • Phile Steele Magazine

2025 SUCCESS

Central Michigan completed its 2025 season with a 7-6 overall record, went 7-3 vs. non-Power-4 opponents, and finished in fifth place in the MAC with a 5-3 record. The Chippewas recorded one of the best one-year turnarounds in the nation as they improved from a four-win season in 2024 to a seven-win season in 2025. The Chippewas accepted their first bowl berth since 2021 as they competed in the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit.

FIRST YEAR SUCCESS

In 2025, Matt Drinkall became the fifth coach to lead Central Michigan to bowl eligibility in his first season as coach. Butch Jones (2007) and Jim McElwain (2019) both had the unique distinction of leading their first teams at CMU to the MAC Championship Game.

Here is a list of first-year coaches to lead the Chippewas to bowl eligibility in their first year as head coach:

Year	Coach	W-L	Bowl
1994	Dick Flynn	9-3	Las Vegas
2007	Butch Jones	8-6	Motor City
2015	John Bonamego	7-6	Quick Lane
2019	Jim McElwain	8-6	New Mexico
2025	Matt Drinkall	7-6	GameAbove Sports Bowl

YEAR ONE UNDER DRINKALL

Central Michigan's Matt Drinkall enters his second season as head coach. He became the first coach at CMU since Jim McElwain in 2019 to guide the Chippewas to bowl eligibility in his first season. Drinkall was named the 30th football coach at Central Michigan on Dec. 9, 2024 after serving the previous six seasons on staff at Army. His 2024 Army offensive line won the Joe Moore Award for top offensive line unit in the nation and helped lead the Black Knights to a 12-2 record, No. 22 national ranking in the College Football Playoff poll, and the American Athletic Conference title in the program's first year in the league.

In his first 12 months at Central Michigan, Drinkall and staff have initiated a culture change with numerous improvements to the student-athlete experience. With a 3.2 grade point average, the Chippewas put together their best-ever academic semester in spring 2025. The Chippewas now have consistent top-notch meals provided at their facility by CMU Dining Services, have turned rooms into areas for player use such as the VIP Lounge, which was converted into a player lounge, and the practice schedule has been revamped. The team also took a team-building trip to amusement park Cedar Point in summer 2025. Those are just a few of the many changes that he made since his arrival.

In defeating San Jose State 16-14 on Aug. 29, Drinkall became the first coach at Central Michigan to win a debut game on the road since Bill Kelly led CMU to a 34-13 victory at Southern Illinois on Sept. 22, 1951. Drinkall also became the first coach at CMU since Herb Deromedi in 1978 to win his first road game and his first home game in his debut season.

The Chippewas reached bowl eligibility with a win over Buffalo and won their seventh game at Kent State. Other key MAC wins were over UMass, at Bowling Green, and Eastern Michigan.

SEASON OPENER NOTES

Central Michigan opens a season on the road for the fifth time in the last six years.
For the second straight year, Central Michigan opens a season at a Mountain West opponent. It defeated San Jose State 16-14 in last year's season opener on August 29, 2025.
The Chippewas have won two consecutive season openers following last year's win at San Jose State (16-14) and the 2024 season opening win over Central Connecticut State (66-10).
In 88 season openers, since 1940, Central Michigan owns a 46-41-1 overall record, including an 8-22-1 record in road games. The Chippewas are 26-24-1 in season openers since joining the MAC in 1975.

A WIN OVER NEW MEXICO WOULD…

Give the Chippewas their third straight win in a season opener (2024, 2025, and 2026).
Give Matt Drinkall his second straight win in a season opener.
Give Matt Drinkall his 50th career victory.
Give Central Michigan its first win in the state of New Mexico. Previously, the Chippewas played just one game in New Mexico, the 2019 New Mexico Bowl vs. San Diego State on Dec. 21, 2019 at Dreamstyle Stadium in Albuquerque. San Diego State won a 48-11 decision.
Improve Central Michigan to 47-41-1 in season openers dating to 1940 and 27-24-1 since joining the MAC.
Give Central Michigan their second straight victory over a Mountain West opponent and improve the Chippewas to 37-31-1 all-time vs. Mountain West opponents. That number includes results against Northern Illinois, which just joined the league this year.

125 YEARS OF CMU FOOTBALL

Central Michigan Athletics will celebrate 125 Seasons of Chippewa Football with a social media and virtual initiative featuring historical feature stories, social media posts, video highlights, guest columns, fan polls, and historical content. The celebration will run from July 15 through November 2026.

Central Michigan Football has designated a #CentralMichiganFB125 logo and will debut a promotional webpage on www.cmuchippewas.com. The webpage will display stories, video, photo galleries, fan modules, promotions, merchandise, and social media content. A variety of content is also planned for Central Michigan Football's social media accounts, including feature stories, historical top 10 lists, and posts featuring the legendary teams, players, coaches, facilities, moments, memories, wins, themes, and special occasions that have made up 125 years of the program. All Central Michigan Football 125 content can be accessed on social media by using the hashtag #CentralMichiganFB125.

Central Michigan started a football team in 1896, just four years after the University was founded in 1892. Over 125 years, CMU Football is one of FBS' most successful football programs, ranking No. 38 in winning percentage (.584) and No. 49 in all-time wins (658). The Chippewas have won one national championship (1974), appeared in 16 bowl games, captured 16 conference titles, including nine Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and seven Mid-American Conference championships, completed four undefeated seasons. Eighty-two of those 125 seasons have been winning seasons.

Over 3,000 players have earned varsity letters, 44 were All-Americans, 49 have seen action in the National Football League, and 45 players were drafted into the NFL since 1946, including the No. 1 overall pick Eric Fisher in 2013. Two legendary coaches—Herb Deromedi and Roy Kramer, have been enshrined in the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame.

CHIPPEWAS PICKED FIFTH IN THE MAC

Central Michigan was picked to finish fifth in the preseason coaches' poll, released on July 22, 2026. The full preseason poll (coaches' vote):

1.	Western Michigan (9)	138
2.	Miami, Ohio (4)	134
3.	Toledo	115
4.	Ohio	107
5.	Central Michigan	101
6.	Buffalo	81
7.	Eastern Michigan	76
8.	Kent State	64
9.	Bowling Green	59
10.	Akron	52
11.	Ball State	34
12.	Sacramento State	28
13.	Massachusetts	25

Conference champion: Western Michigan 9 votes, Miami, Ohio 4 votes

CMU, WINNINGEST G5 TEAMS

Central Michigan currently ranks No. 7 nationally among the winningest Group of Five teams in the all-time wins rankings category (source: CFB Home). Here is the list prior to the start of the 2026 season:

Rk.	Team (2026)	Wins
1.	Navy	759 wins
2.	Army	745 wins
3.	Miami (Ohio)	740 wins
4.	Delaware	739 wins
5.	Appalachian State	674 wins
6.	Fresno State	660 wins
7.	Central Michigan (0-0)	658 wins
8.	Tulsa	654 wins
	Louisiana Tech	654 wins
10.	Marshall	643 wins
11.	Western Kentucky	632 wins
12.	Jacksonville State	630 wins

CMU AMONG TOP 50 PROGRAMS

Historically, Central Michigan has been ranked among the nation's top-50 all-time college football programs by a variety of organizations. The Pro Football Hall of Fame and ESPN both rated Central Michigan No. 41 on its list of all-time most successful college football programs.

Of MAC schools, the two highest-rated college football programs of all time are Miami (Ohio) and Central Michigan.

Also on display at the College Football Hall of Fame is Central Michigan-Western Michigan, one of the top rivalries in all of college football.

DRINKALL AND 50 WINS

A win over New Mexico would give Central Michigan coach Matt Drinkall his 50th career win.

Drinkall is 7-6 at Central Michigan and previously served as the head coach at Kansas Wesleyan (2014-19), where he compiled a 42-17 record. He owns a 49-23 career record (.680).

DEFENSE WINS GAMES

In all seven wins in 2025, Central Michigan limited its opponents to 20 points or less. In eight MAC games, opponents averaged just 17.5 points per game, which ranked No. 3 in the league in conference only games.

In MAC play, not one opponent scored over 28 points against Central Michigan. The only team to do it was Akron on Oct. 4, when the Zips defeated the Chippewas in Akron, 28-22.

The last time Central Michigan held as many teams under 20 points in a season was in 2009, when the Chippewas held seven of their 14 opponents to 20 points or less.

Here is a look at the best scoring defensive seasons in the last 25 years of Central Michigan football:

Year	Opp. held under 20 points	PPG
2025	7 of 13	23.5
2009	7 of 14	18.9
2006	6 of 14	22.3
2005	5 of 11	23.6

FAST STARTING CHIPPEWAS

Fast starts and early leads helped Central Michigan claim each of its seven wins in 2025. When Central Michigan led at halftime, it went 7-2 last year. Central's two losses when leading at halftime were at Western Michigan and at home vs. Toledo.

Here is a look at Central Michigan's first half leads and the results of each game:

Game	Key Lead	Final Score
at SJSU	13-0 lead in 1st Q	W, 16-14
Wagner	14-0 lead in 1st Q	W, 49-10
EMU	14-0 lead in 1st Q	W, 24-13
at BGSU	17-3 lead in 2nd Q	W, 27-6
UMass	21-7 lead in 1st Q	W, 38-13
Buffalo	14-10 lead in 2nd Q	W, 38-19
at Kent State	14-0 lead in 2nd Q	W, 28-16

TURNOVER MARGIN TURNAROUND

Winning the turnover battle proved to be the key to Central Michigan's success in 2025. The exception was CMU's bowl game vs. Northwestern where it turned the ball over three times on three consecutive plays and had one takeaway. Because of that game, the final tally was 21 turnovers gained to 16 turnovers lost.

Before the Northwestern game and through 12 regular season games, Central Michigan recorded a +8 turnover margin, which ranked No. 1 in the MAC and No. 18 in FBS (20 turnovers gained/12 turnovers lost). The Chippewas ranked No. 24 nationally and No. 1 in the MAC in turnovers gained (20), and No. 21 nationally and No. 2 in the MAC in turnovers lost (13). The +8 turnover margin ranked as the best mark at Central Michigan in 35 years since 1990 when the Chippewas registered a +8 (29 gained/21 lost).

CMU scored 74 of its 286 points off turnovers and has outscored its opponents 74-34 in points off turnovers. In 2024, CMU was ranked No. 133 in turnover margin (-17) and tied a school record for worst turnover margin in a season.

Best Turnover Margin (Since 1990)

Margin	Year	Gained/Lost
+8	1990	29/21
+7	2006	29/22
+6	2007	30/24
+5	2025	21/16
+5	2005	15/10
+5	1996	34/29
+5	1994	21/16

The Chippewas registered at least one turnover in each of their 13 games in 2025. That marks the longest streak of turnovers gained in consecutive games over the last 25 years in program history.

TURNOVER FREE CMU

Central Michigan turned the ball over just 16 times in 13 games in 2025 (1.23 per game). It has surrendered just seven turnovers in eight MAC games. Earlier in the year, Central Michigan went 15 quarters without turning the ball over from the Eastern Michigan game through the fourth quarter of the UMass game.

Of the 16 turnovers, six were committed with the game already decided.

Central had four games in 2025 where it did not turn the ball over (at San Jose State, Eastern Michigan, at Akron, and at Bowling Green). It went 3-1 in those games.

Central Michigan University Athletics

Related News

News & Notes: Football Opens 2026 Season at New Mexico Saturday Night

Related Videos