Central Michigan Chippewas vs Miami Hurricanes Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/26/2026

Game Time: 6:30 pm ET, Saturday, September 26, 2026

Venue:  Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL

Where to Watch:  CW

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  CMU +41.5, Miami-FL -41.5; Over/Under:  53.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  CMU +41.5, Miami-FL -41.5; Over/Under:  53.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  CMU +41.5, Miami-FL -41.5; Over/Under:  53.5 points

Central Michigan Chippewas:  2-1 (0-0) (3rd place, MAC)

Miami Hurricanes:  3-0 (2-0) (1st place, ACC)

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Central Michigan Chippewas:  won their last game at home against the Wyoming Cowboys 24-10.

Miami Hurricanes:  won their last game on the road against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 33-20.

Central Michigan is entering this game with a 2-1 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 0-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Wyoming 24-10. Angel Flores was the starting QB and he completed 4/7 passes for 32 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Angel Flores led the team in rushing yards with 163 and 2 TDs. Shawn Foster II led the receivers with 13 receiving yards on 1 reception. Xavier White led the defense in that game with 10 tackles while no one on the defense recorded a sack for them. Justin Taylor and Kameran Hayward each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Miami-Florida is entering this game with a 3-0 record overall and they have a 2-0 record in their conference games too. They are 1-0 in their home games, 2-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against Wake Forest 33-20. Darian Mensah was the starting QB and he completed 30/34 passes for 220 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Mark Fletcher Jr. led the team in rushing yards with 85 and 1 TD. Malachi Toney led the receivers with 114 receiving yards on 12 receptions and 1 TD. Ethan O'Connor and JJ Dunnigan each led the defense in that game with 8 tackles while Damon Wilson II and Marquise Lightfoot each led the defense in sacks with 1. Ethan O'Connor came away with the only interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Miami listed as a 41.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Miami has looked great in their games this season with their 3-0 record overall and their 2-0 conference record which has them right at the top of the ACC. They have looked great on their home field too with their 1-0 home record this season. Meanwhile, Central Michigan has looked good in their games this season with their 2-1 record overall so far. They haven't been a great road team though with their 0-1 road record this year. Central Michigan is coming off a 24-10 win over Wyoming in their last one, but Wyoming hasn't been a great program over the last few years. They haven't really challenged themselves in their first 3 games and they have had trouble in all of them. They looked better against Wyoming last week, but they barely beat a team from the FCS at home the week before, beating Colgate 13-10. They were terrible in their only road game this season too, losing to New Mexico 38-7, and now they are playing against their first power 4 opponent of the year who also happens to be ranked like one of the best teams in the nation. Miami is coming off a 33-20 win over Wake Forest in their last one and that game was a lot worse than the score shows. Miami had a huge lead at halftime and ended up sleepwalking through the 2nd half which allowed Wake Forest to come back a bit. Miami has only played 1 home game, which was against a team from the FCS, beating Florida A&M 77-7, but they definitely haven't been playing cupcakes to start the season. They already have 2 road games under their belt and both of those were wins against conference opponents, winning both games by double digits. Miami still has a ton of talent that helped get them to the National Championship last season along with a much better QB now. Miami is one of the best teams in the nation while Central Michigan has been having trouble with teams that play in weaker conferences than their own. The best way to place a bet here is on Miami to cover the spread in this game. 

Central Michigan Miami Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 26, 2026 (6:30 pm ET start time) is Miami 56 Central Michigan 3.

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Central Michigan Chippewas: 3-10 ATS against ACC opponents. 2-6 ATS as an underdog of 31 or more points. 16-24 ATS versus good rushing teams - averaging 200  rushing yards/game or more. 17-10 UNDER when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 75%). 29-22 UNDER versus good offensive teams - averaging 5.9 yards/play or more. 

Miami Hurricanes: 4-1 ATS against MAC opponents. 10-5 ATS in home lined games. 11-3 ATS in non-conference games. 67-44 UNDER when the total is between 49.5 and 56. 40-22 UNDER off a road win against a conference rival.

Central Michigan Chippewas:  J. Allen (TE) Out - Undisclosed. R. VanWetzinga IV (FB) Questionable - Knee.

Miami Hurricanes:  M. Toney (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Moore (WR) Out - Upper Body. C. Brown (RB) Out - Lower Body. M. Fletcher Jr. (RB) Questionable - Upper Body. L. Gilbert (TE) Out - Undisclosed.

"Our plan, the way to frame the game, was to come out early and be really aggressive. Any time that you rush for as many yards as the other team had in total offense, you're probably doing pretty good." - Matt Drinkall after his team’s win against Wyoming in their last game. 

“I think a ton of credit goes to the defense for just bowing up and executing at a high level.” - Mario Cristobal after his team’s win against Wake Forest in their last game. 

WR Burnside, Stonka

WR Kluse, Brady

WR Chapman, Tychaun

TE Tipton, Hunter

QB Stokes, Marcus

RB Carter, Jaylin

WR Moore, Joshua 

WR Barkate, Cooper

WR Toney, Malachi

TE Lofton, Elija

QB Mensah, Darian

RB Fletcher Jr., Mark

Passing: Angel Flores (103)

Rushing: Angel Flores (312)

Receiving: Vaughn Blue (28)

Touchdowns: Angel Flores (3)

Passing: Darian Mensah (873)

Rushing: Mark Fletcher Jr. (230)

Receiving: Malachi Toney (444)

Touchdowns: Malachi Toney (5)

Coaches:

Central Michigan Chippewas: Matt Drinkall (2nd season)

Miami Hurricanes: Mario Cristobal (5th season)