'There's a bunch to play for' in Chippewas' season-finale
Central Michigan coach Jim McElwain leads the football team onto the field before a game against Eastern Michigan Nov. 30 at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, MI.
CMU's football team left Kelly/Shorts Stadium understandably disappointed in its 45-20 loss to Ball State on Dec. 5.
The Chippewas were outplayed on both sides of the ball, and lost for the second time at home during the shortened, six-game 2020 season with half of the games played at home.
After going undefeated at home last season on its way to a Mid-American Conference West Division title, CMU will finish the season 1-2 at home. Conversely, the Chippewas have improved on the road, and will finish with at least two wins away from home after going 2-4 on the road in 2019.
That said, CMU's sights are set for Saturday's game at Toledo -- the regular season finale.
With potentially no bowl game in sight, the Chippewas have one more chance to play and win a game, and against one of their fiercest division rivals no less.
In a season that coach Jim McElwain and his Chippewas thought wouldn't happen because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the final game of the regular season holds significant weight.
"We went through how many months of thinking we weren't ever going to play," McElwain said. "So, gosh darn, there's a bunch to play for and we're going to take advantage of it."
Toledo had won nine games in a row over the Chippewas dating back to 2010 before last season's 49-7 beatdown in Kelly/Shorts Stadium to clinch the MAC West title for CMU. There is a chance for CMU to win consecutive games in the rivalry since it won five in a row from 2005-09.
Outside of the series against the Rockets, there is plenty for McElwain and company to play for in the last game of the season.
Whether it's playing for pride or putting a solid performance on film for next year's opponents, the players know there is plenty to show in the finale.
After the loss to Ball State, senior running back Kobe Lewis delivered a message to his teammates in the locker room following the loss. Senior fullback Hunter Buczkowski embraced his teammate's mentality going into the Toledo game.
"We can't be complacent, we have to start fast, we can't just be a second-half team," Buczkowski recalled Lewis saying to the team. "Start fast, pedal to the floor the whole time and hopefully we can show teams that we can compete next year."
As for a bowl game, there is no guarantee for CMU play in the postseason. The NCAA announced in October that all teams would be considered bowl-eligible. However, that would not guarantee an invitation to play in a bowl game.
"They keep dropping them bit by bit," McElwain said. "(We have) no idea. ... (MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher) do a great job of working on those bowl tie-ins for our league."
The MAC has already lost two bowl games -- the Bahamas Bowl and the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit -- due to cancellation amid the COVID-19 pandemic. There are still several bowls the conference has ties to including:
Myrtle Beach Bowl (Dec. 21)
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Dec. 22)
Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 22)
Camelia Bowl (Dec. 25)
Cure Bowl (Dec. 26)
Lending Tree Bowl (Dec. 26)
Arizona Bowl (Dec. 31)
