Central Michigan looks to finish its season with a bowl win over Northwestern at Ford Field.
For the first time since 2021, Central Michigan football is going bowling.
After finishing 7-5 and fifth in the Mid-American Conference, the Chippewas – behind first-year coach Matt Drinkall –will be playing in the GameAbove Sports Bowl against Northwestern (7-5, 11th in Big Ten) at Ford Field in Detroit on Friday, Dec. 26 (1 p.m., ESPN).
This is the sixth time CMU will be playing a bowl in Detroit, with its most recent trip to Ford Field coming in the Quick Lane Bowl in 2015 (a 21-14 loss to Minnesota).
According to Drinkall, playing at Ford Field is a dream come true for many of the Michiganders on CMU's roster.
"I saw guys on our teams that are these giant dudes that are sitting there talking giddy as you could ever be in the locker room beforehand about, like, 'Man, I've grown up in Michigan my whole life and this is the first time I'm going to get to go on this field,'" he said. "The entire experience has been unbelievable so far ... and to be able to do it in the state of Michigan makes it much more personal to us."
Of the dozen or so Detroit-area natives on the CMU roster, two star defenders stand out: senior edge rusher Michael Heldman (Romeo) and senior linebacker Jordan Kwiatowski (Sterling Heights). Heldman is currently tied for 10th in FBS in sacks (10½) while Kwiatowski leads CMU in tackles (109) and interceptions (three).
"There have been so many opportunities I wanted to come [to Ford Field] before, but I couldn't get here for a [high school] state championship," Heldman said. "So I'm like, 'I guess I won't be able to play on this field ever in my life.' But now it's finally cool to be here, to find out we were at Ford Field, I'm like, 'Yes! We got the opportunity.'"
Listed at 6 feet 4 and 260 pounds, Heldman's breakout senior season has come with some NFL considerations, with Heldman saying that he will be training after the bowl game to prepare for the draft process.
"He's one of the best edge rushers you could possibly find," Drinkall said. "I think now he's just starting to scratch the surface of how good he can be ... he is still going to get bigger and stronger and more dynamic, and his skill set grows because he attacks learning so much."
Heldman will be matched up against another Detroit-area NFL prospect in Northwestern left tackle Caleb Tiernan, currently ranked as the No. 8 tackle for the 2026 NFL Draft, according to Pro Football Focus. But with one last shot to make an impression in college, Heldman didn't seem concerned with his upcoming matchup.
"I just gotta play my best ball no matter who we play against, whether that's someone really bad or someone really good, and I gotta have that mentality every time," he said.
Another senior making his final appearance for CMU is quarterback Joe Labas, who has a tough test against a Northwestern defense that ranked 34th in FBS in yards allowed per game (334.8).
"Big up front, big D-line, some good linebackers," he said. "We still see ways to attack them, for sure, and we're getting the gameplan ready to go right now and feeling good about it."
Labas said the thought of playing in his final college game hasn't hit him yet, but Heldman has taken a lot of time to reflect on his time with CMU.
"I've just been remembering my freshman year, when I was just a skinny little defensive end, the worst haircut known to mankind, to a mature man growing," he said. "So it's really cool to see all that."
Central Michigan vs Northwestern prediction, pick
This game isn't as simple as MAC vs Big Ten, as the top end of the MAC has proved its worth against Power Five teams in recent years (check out Toledo's win over Pitt in 2024's GameAbove Sports Bowl as a recent example). With that said, this still looks to be a mismatch.
Both teams play similar styles of football, with run-heavy offenses and big front sevens looking to control the line of scrimmage. But these teams have one shared opponent this season (Michigan), with Northwestern taking the Wolverines down to the wire and CMU losing to their in-state rivals by 60 earlier this year. That says enough about each team's quality.
CMU is hoping for a low-scoring game, and they may fill their end of the bargain. But it'll be tough to keep a Big Ten offense in check, even if this is a de-facto home game for the Chippewas. The pick: Northwestern 31, CMU 17.
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You can reach Christian at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Central Michigan plays Northwestern at GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field
Category: General Sports
