2026 Miami Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 4: Central Michigan

After what can only be called the team's first real test of the year against Wake Forest on the road in Winston-Salem, the Hurricanes will return home for another buy-game against the Central Michigan Chippewas.

That means, if nothing else, between a Cardinal, a Rattler, a Demon Deacon and a Chippewa, Miami has as diverse a first four games of 2026 as anyone from a mascot standpoint. While that may sound like the start of a bad joke, Miami hopes it's the start of another championship-caliber season.

The Chippewas were as middle-of-the-road as it gets last season, but were more than solid for a MAC team working through its first year under a new head coach. They won the games they were supposed to, but boy, did they ever lose the ones that they weren't.

It might not happen against the Canes, but CMU will try to surprise someone in 2026. Here's what Miami needs to know to ensure it isn't them.

2026 Miami Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 4: Central Michigan

The Offense

The 2025 season left Chippewa fans hopeful for the future. CMU ended the year 7-6 overall, with three of those losses coming to Power 4 teams. The final one was in the GameAbove Sports Bowl, a 7-34 loss to Northwestern. Take away those matchups, and they were one of the best teams in the MAC from a statistical standpoint.

If there's one area where most experts believe that the Chips will improve in 2025, it's on the offensive side of the ball. Last year, starting quarterback Joe Labas was as much of a traditional game manager as one could ask for. He got the job done more times than not, but didn't have the dynamic playmaking ability of this year's predicted starter, Angel Flores, who was used sparingly last year in the run game.

Up front, CMU gets a host of linemen back into the fold after a year of experience, which is expected to immediately make them one of the more cohesive units in the conference. Head coach Matt Drinkall picked up three more FCS starters from the portal to ensure CMU has the meat to compete in the trenches when we hit midseason MACtion. Behind them, Brock Townsend, who ran for over 400 yards last year as a freshman, is back for his sophomore campaign.

Finally, the Chips get their leading receiver, Langston Lewis, back into the fold. The Savannah, Georgia, native hauled in three touchdowns and over 500 yards receiving last year for CMU, and will be the team's premier big play threat. His numbers against the P4 last year were impressive, especially in the bowl game against Northwestern, where he caught eight passes for 83 yards.

Miami's physicality up front should make the Chips play one-dimensional football, though, and that could spell disaster for a CMU offense that already struggled to find the end zone last year against its P4 opponents.

Defense

If you're Drinkall, the defense is the biggest concern in 2026. After coming over to CMU from West Point in 2025, Drinkall liked what he inherited defensively. However, most of those players are gone. CMU returns just two defenders who saw significant playing time last season.

The two returners, defensive end Korver Demma and defensive back Jaion Jackson, will be the foundational pieces, but a host of transfers, JUCO recruits and underclassmen will fill out the rest of the ranks. That being said, an intriguing name to watch here is Hunter Zirkle, who recorded 10 sacks at his previous NAIA stop. There is one other bright spot for Drinkall, though.

None of the expected key contributors in 2026 are seniors, meaning that, if they can keep enough talent from hitting the portal, the continuity that carries over from this year could loom large down the road.

But what does that mean for 2026? In truth, Chippewa fans should more than likely prep for a rough year defensively. Any time that a team needs to rely on that many transfers and JUCO players on the defensive side of the rock, things can get hairy. The Chips may find themselves in some shootouts as the year goes on.

Schedule

Assuming Miami enters its matchup with Central Michigan 3-0, the CMU game can go one of two ways: A) Miami continues to roll its momentum onward and gets out to an early, comfortable lead, or B) the Hurricanes sleepwalk their way into this matchup following a physical test against Wake Forest.

Either way, the U is far too talented to lose this game. In reality, Miami could play most of its two-deep for four quarters and still probably come away with a convincing win. In fact, if the Wake game proves as physical as anticipated, that might be a winning strategy for keeping everyone healthy.

In reality, CMU is the final tune-up before the U gets into the games that matter more to the fan base and its run back to a national championship game. After all, Miami has a date with Clemson immediately following its buy game with CMU.

Outlook

Whether Miami sleepwalks into it or dominates from whistle to whistle, there's nearly as much of a chance of Miami losing this one as there is of losing to FAMU. Central Michigan will be tougher to move off the spot and, more than likely, a more physical opponent, but the sheer talent will win out in the end.

The Hurricanes should roll to a 4-0 start and be chomping at the bit for its next matchup against Clemson.

The Game

Date: September 26

Time: 6:30 p.m. ET

TV: The CW

Location: Hard Rock Stadium

Series History: Miami leads 1-0

Last Meeting: 2019

The Team

The Coach: Matt Drinkall

Offensive Coordinator: Jim Chapin

Defensive Coordinator: Sean Cronin

2025 Record: 7-6

2025 Rankings: 105th Total Offense, 55th Total Defense

Players to Watch: Angel Flores, QB, Sr

Top Newcomer: Hunter Zirkle, DE, Cumberlands (NAIA)

Biggest Question: Can the defense do just enough to win games?

The School

Location: Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Founded: September 13, 1892

Enrollment: 14,135

Nickname: The Chippewas

Colors: Maroon (PMS 209 C), Gold (PMS 123 C)

Mascot: The Chippewa

The Program

Last Win in the Series: N/A

Last ACC Title: N/A

National Championships: 1974 Div. II Nat'l Championship

Playoff Appearances: N/A

Last missed bowl season: 2024

Heisman Trophies: N/A

The Schedule

September 26, 7:30 p.m., Miami Hurricanes @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons

This is the fourth story in Miami Hurricanes on SI's early preview series of all 12 regular-season opponents for Miami football in 2026.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/miami as 2026 Miami Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 4: Central Michigan.

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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 5:00 AM.