Saturday, 2026-09-12 | 12:00 PM CT | Kelly/Shorts Stadium, Mount Pleasant, MI | ESPN+
DraftKings snapshot: not yet posted in the ESPN/DraftKings feed | Over/under: not yet posted [S1]

What’s at stake

Central Michigan's home opener suddenly feels like an early gut check. The Chippewas did not record a first down until the final minute of the first half and finished with 149 yards in a 38-7 loss at New Mexico. Colgate is 2-0 after following a Week 0 win at Fordham with a 35-10 win over Holy Cross. [S2/S3/S4/S5]

This is the first meeting, and Central Michigan brings two meaningful streaks into it: 17 straight wins over FCS opponents and three straight home-opening wins. Colgate's explosive passing game makes those streaks more than trivia if CMU's offense again cannot stay on the field. [S2/S6]

Three things to know

1. CMU's quarterback situation has to produce something: Jadyn Glasser and Angel Flores combined to complete 7 of 16 passes for 30 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception. Colgate just intercepted Holy Cross three times. If Central Michigan becomes one-dimensional again, the Raiders can attack the run without fearing the pass. [S2/S3/S4]
2. Colgate can create points without long drives: Jake Stearney threw four touchdown passes, including scores of 64 and 58 yards. Matt Fogler caught six passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns. Central Michigan allowed only 159 passing yards at New Mexico, but the Lobos controlled the game so thoroughly that they did not need to chase big plays. [S2/S3/S4]
3. The third-down gap explains both openers: Colgate converted 5 of 12 third downs and held Holy Cross to 66 rushing yards. Central Michigan went 2 of 11 on third down and possessed the ball for only 22:31. CMU does not need a spectacular offense yet; it needs enough first downs to keep Colgate's playmakers off the field. [S2/S3/S4]

Stat comparison

Metric	Colgate 2026	C Michigan 2026	Colgate 2025 rank	C Michigan 2025 rank
Points per game	29.5 (FCS; no FBS rank)	7.0 (No. 122*)	FCS — not ranked with FBS	No. 111
Points allowed per game	12.0 (FCS; no FBS rank)	38.0 (No. 110*)	FCS — not ranked with FBS	No. 49
Yards per game	438.0 (FCS; no FBS rank)	149.0 (No. 126*)	FCS — not ranked with FBS	No. 113
Yards allowed per game	259.5 (FCS; no FBS rank)	364.0 (No. 81*)	FCS — not ranked with FBS	No. 53
Passing yards per game	224.5 (FCS; no FBS rank)	30.0 (No. 127*)	FCS — not ranked with FBS	No. 118
Passing yards allowed per game	190.0 (FCS; no FBS rank)	159.0 (No. 52*)	FCS — not ranked with FBS	No. 49
Turnover margin	-1 (FCS; no FBS rank)	-2 (No. 107*)	FCS — not ranked with FBS	No. 38

*The 2026 ranking is based on the 131 teams who had played by Saturday night. We did not wait on the Sunday and Monday college football games to publish the majority of our previews. [S2/S3/S4/S10]

Players to watch

• Colgate — Matt Fogler: He turned six catches into 153 yards and three touchdowns against Holy Cross. His longest score covered 64 yards, so Central Michigan has to know where he is on every snap. [S3/S8]
• Central Michigan — Nasir Williams: He produced Central Michigan's only touchdown on a 23-yard run and also led the Chippewas with 11 receiving yards. That unusual combination shows how little else worked in the passing game. [S2/S4/S9]

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Sources

• S1: ESPN Colgate-Central Michigan game page
• S2: Central Michigan official 38-7 New Mexico recap and coach comments
• S3: Colgate official 35-10 Holy Cross recap and box score
• S4: ESPN Central Michigan-New Mexico final box score
• S5: ESPN Colgate-Fordham final box score
• S6: Central Michigan official 2026 schedule quick facts
• S7: Colgate official 2026 schedule announcement
• S8: Colgate official 2026 football roster
• S9: Central Michigan official 2026 football roster
• S10: SportsDataverse/ESPN 2025 team-summary source

Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.