#95 Central Michigan Chippewas Preview

  #95 – Central Michigan Chippewas 6-5 SU; 6-4-1 ATS   

 Fargo’s Take  The Chippewas started last season with an internal nightmare as murder charges were brought against running back Jerry Seymour and it looked as though the season would be lost. Central Michigan started out 1-3 but instead of throwing it in, the Chippewas rallied and ended up with a winning season. Four of their losses were by a touchdown or less so a good season could have been even better. The coaching of Brian Kelly can be attributed to the success of 2005 and he will be called upon once again to rally confidence into a team that lost its best player on offense. Quarterback Kent Smith is gone and replacing him will be impossible so the Chippewas will have to count on a strong running game along with one of the best offensive lines in the MAC. The defense was excellent last season and can be even better this year if the secondary improves from its 108th ranking against the pass.

 Returning Starters on Offense – 7  The loss of Smith is immense but there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Smith easily had his best season a year ago yet the offense averaged the exact same amount of points in did in 2004. The Chippewas averaged 23.6 ppg on the season in 2005 but that average goes up to 28.8 ppg in MAC games. Led by running back Ontario Snead, the rushing attack will be the focal point until quarterback Brian Brunner gets more familiar with the offense. He will have a huge and experienced line to protect him and he has one of the top receivers in Damien Linson to throw the ball to. With all of the starters coming back, the offense should be able to improve on its 76th ranking in scoring offense.

 Returning Starters on Defense – 7  This is where the real surprise occurred last season as Central Michigan finished 46th in the nation in scoring defense and 20th in rushing defense. The rushing defense ranking could be considered skewed by playing in the pass happy MAC but the Chippewas led the conference in yards per carry average allowed so it was hardly slanted. The secondary was the weak link a season ago and likely will be again but the defensive line and linebackers more than make up for those deficiencies. MAC Defensive Play of the Year Dan Bazuin is back at end while all three linebackers return. The run defense will be just as good and if the young players in the backfield can step up and make some plays, this will be the best defense in the MAC.

 Schedule  The schedule does not set up well for the Chippewas to be breaking in a new signal caller. They start the season hosting Boston College, travel to Michigan and then host 2005 MAC Champion Akron. And if that isn’t bad enough, the following three games after that are all on the road including games at Kentucky and Toledo. The second half of the slate does get much better as two of their last three road games are at Temple and at Buffalo which should be relatively easy wins. The toughest game over the final six-game stretch is a game at Northern Illinois. Playing West frontrunners Toledo and Northern Illinois on the road is a very bad break.

 You can bet on…  The Chippewas will not be sneaking up on anyone this season like they did last year. Central Michigan shocked Miami (Ohio) in the second game of the season while also taking out Akron and Toledo. The Chippewas used to be the team that everyone looked forward to playing but that has changed. Despite many surprising wins, they finished only two games above .500 against the number. The last two spread losses were by a combined five points so a good money season could have been a great one, similar to their straight up record. Boston College better be ready in the opener since the Chippewas will be looking to revenge that 43-0 loss a couple years ago, the last time they were shut out.

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