2026 MAC Football Week 4 Game Preview: Central Michigan Chippewas at Miami [FL] Hurricanes

The Miami [FL] Hurricanes (3-0, 1-0 ACC) were one Hail Mary prayer away from lifting the College Football Playoff trophy on home grounds last season, losing out to the Indiana Hoosiers under Curt Cignetti. Their performance in 2025 marked them as a team to watch for in the 2026 campaign, and to this point, they have absolutely delivered and then some, with this season's roster looking even better statistically than the one which busted the College Football Playoff bracket.

Matt Drinkall, head coach of the 2-1 Central Michigan Chippewas, is certainly excited about the possibility of his team facing the 'Canes, comparing the upcoming game to a fight against the likes of Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson.

"[W]hen you're playing a titan like Miami, when you do that, if you don't play your fastest and you don't swing your hardest and you don't do everything right, you got almost no chance," Drinkall said during media availability on Tuesday. "[F]or us, the big part is like we might not ever get to play a game again where none of the pressure is on us whatsoever, so our players get to really let loose in this game."

While there is a lot of excitement about the task ahead, it's still an arduous one, as the Chips will have to contain several Heisman candidates if they want any chance to pull out what would be one of the 2026 season's most unbelievable upsets.

Game Notes

• Date and Time: Saturday, Sept. 26th, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern time
• Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida
• TV options: The game will air nationally on The CW Network, an over-the-air channel. Check your local viewing guide for availability.
• Streaming options: The game will be streamed on The CW Network's website, and will be also be accessible on the ESPN Unlimited App. If watching on the ESPN Unlimited App, a valid subscription is required.
• Central Michigan radio: Adam Jaksa (play-by-play) and Brock Gutierrez (color) will provide the CMU call for WUPS-FM 98.5.
• Gambling Considerations: Miami [FL] is a 41-point favorite, with an over/under set around 53.5-54.5 by book, per Covers.
• All-Time Series: These teams played once before, back in 2019, with the Jim McElwain-led Chippewas giving the Hurricanes a scare. Miami [FL] won, but only by a margin of 17-12.

Miami (FL) Outlook

The Hurricanes have stormed through their first three games of the season, putting up simply astronomical numbers on offense.

They're averaging 51 points (third in the NCAA), 358 passing yards (fifth) and 594 yards of total offense (first) on average through their first three games, with transfer QB Darian Mensah sitting on an 89.9 percent completion percentage.

Mensah has been immaculate, as his completion percent suggests, with 873 passing yards for 11 touchdowns and no interceptions, positioning himself squarely for Heisman consideration.

He's primarily connected with fellow Heisman candidate Malachi Toney, who is responsible for over half of Miami's current production through the air at 444 yards and five touchdowns on 28 receptions. There was a question of if Toney would be made available after picking up an injury last week, but he will be "a full go" per head coach Mario Cristobal.

Halfback Mark Fletcher, one of the main characters of the national championship game last year, will also be ready to go. Fletcher has been the bellcow so far in 2026, with 236 yards for three touchdowns. Spell back Javian Mallory is someone to keep an eye on for explosive plays; he averages 9.4 yards per rush on just 20 carries, scoring twice.

The defense has performed admirably as well, though not as high-octane as the offense. The 'Canes defense ranks top 25 in the NCAA in scoring defense (11.0 points; 13th), rushing defense (45.0 yards; third), total defense (246.7 yards; 16th), opposing third-down conversions (24 percent; 14th) and opposing fourth-down conversions (20 percent; 16th).

Unlike last year's star-studded defense, Miami's 2026 look will have to rely on some depth pieces. Not a single 2025 all-ACC player remains on the roster, with only honorable mentions Mohamed Toure and Zechairah Poyser returning to the fold.

Marquise Lightfoot has led the way in backfield penetration, with two TFLs and sacks on the season to go along with 13 total stops (second on team). Safety JJ Dunnigan leads the 'Canes with 15 tackles. Poyser and Toure sit tied for third on the tackle charts with nine apiece.

One problem area has been turnovers; to this point, Miami only has one interception on the season. They're hoping to take advantage against Central with their sheer talent gap.

While there may not be a lot of proven stars, this is a seriously talented and deep defense that will look to maintain their mean streak.

Central Michigan Outlook

The Chippewas looked refreshed on Saturday, dominating Wyoming from wire-to-wire on a sloppy, rainy day in Mt. Pleasant, running amok on the Cowboys defense to the tune of 339 yards and four touchdowns while the defense kept the opposition to only 2-of-4 in the redzone (one touchdown, one field goal) and snagged two late interceptions to kill any chance of a rally.

It was a much-needed release of pressure, as the previous two weeks, the Chippewas struggled to do much of anything on the scoring side of the ball.

Drinkall noted the team ran a bit more than they anticipated vs. Wyoming (with only seven pass attempts) and that they would like to tone down on quarterback runs, but their success in those looks– both last season and this week– suggests it is something to build on.

Angel Flores played all 66 snaps at QB vs. Wyoming– just the second time in the Drinkall era there was not a rotation at the position– and shined, scoring the third-most rushing yards by a CMU signalcaller all-time (28 carries, 163 yards, two TDs). The most shocking aspect was that Flores did not suffer a single lost yard, at least getting back to the line as a floor and not taking a single sack.

The redshirt senior is the engine of the run-heavy offense, sitting at 312 yards and three rushing touchdowns– over 2.5x the yards of second place Jayden Clerveaux (142). Central will primarily rely on QB power runs and option looks to their slot backs in Clerveaux, Vaughn Blue (who leads the team in receiving at four catches for 28 yards) and Brock Townsend– with occasional jets and reverses to receivers like Langston Lewis and Justin Ruffin Jr.

When they do pass, they like to attack the middle of the field on crossing routes. This has caused some havoc when passing downfield, as CMU has three interceptions on such looks through three games. To this point, they have score no passing touchdowns.

Speaking of, Central's defense has been one of the best against the pass at the FBS level in 2026– though they haven't been tested much against three teams who prefer running the ball (87 pass attempts). This is in part thanks to CMU's nearly obscene ability to generate turnovers in leverage situations; against both Colgate and Wyoming, they came down with two interceptions in the fourth quarter. CMU has allowed 124 yards per game on average so far, and will be tested by one of the country's best passing offenses. Cornerback Jaion Jackson is the one to watch for Miami fans. A three-year starter, he's capable of both inside and outside play and exhibits a physicality the coaching staff likes.

Their turnover luck doesn't stop in the pass game; the rushing defense has also gotten after it, with six forced fumbles and two recoveries. CMU relies on generating early pressure to force the offense into making mistakes, with sticky coverage outside, and has a nose for the football to create turnover opportunities. Their rush defense numbers are average, giving up 4.5 yards per attempt and 153.3 yards per game.

Game Outlook

To hark back to Drinkall's comments at the start of our preview, staying loose in an environment like what will be on display Saturday is vital to Central's success, but make no mistake about it: no matter how loose they play, or how much pressure will be placed on the host team to perform to expectations, Central has a long fight ahead of them.

And unlike in boxing, there's no rope or bell to save you between rounds if it starts to go haywire.

Central has lost two of their top pass rushers for the long term in the last two weeks in Hunter Zirkle and Joey VanWetzinga, and already were struggling for help in that department coming into 2026. They'll also be down big bodies on offense, with fullback Rusty VanWetzinga and H-back Jaden Allen both out as well. Tommy McIntosh, CMU's best mismatch receiver at six-foot-five, tore his ACL in fall camps.

Their revitalized rushing offense, which did show potential, also hasn't faced a front seven like Miami will roster to date; it could be a long day at the office on that side.

Miami should have no problem covering if they're truly made of national champion stuff; the intrigue here will be the over/under and if Central puts it under threat.