CMU's John Bonamego has great respect for Wyoming coach
Before Craig Bohl arrived in Wyoming before the 2014 season, he was running a juggernaut almost 600 miles north.
There's few who've mustered a similar pedigree like Bohl during his tenure at North Dakota State, winning three straight Division I FCS championships from 2011-13, before leaving the program he gave a decade of his life to for the Cowboys.
It took two full losing seasons before Bohl was able to bring Wyoming back to bowl eligibility, something it had yet to do since 2011, but eventually losing in the Mountain West Conference title game and Poinsettia Bowl in two week span.
"I've never had the pleasure of meeting him but I'm looking forward to having a little time to spend time with him," Central Michigan coach John Bonamego said. "He's done a phenomenal job everywhere that he's been, very deserving to be where he's at."
What Bohl, 59, was able to achieve in 2016 by claiming MWC Coach of the Year honors as well as defeating two Top 25 ranked opponents didn't necessary translate to new heights this year for the Cowboys, who finished with seven wins and some ugly losses down the stretch.
Without junior quarterback Josh Allen, who went down with a throwing shoulder injury on Nov. 11 against Air Force, Wyoming lost two straight to Fresno State and San Jose State, considered to be one of the worst programs in the FBS.
It earned them an appearance in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Dec. 22 against Central Michigan, who won the final five games of the season and will make its fourth consecutive bowl game under Bonamego.
"At first glance, (Wyoming) is making a more concentrated effort of bringing in players and developing them," Bonamego said. "My personal philosophy is that's the best way to build up a program. It's difficult to do that if half of your team is out of there every two years, as opposed to bringing guys in and raising them in the culture."
MAC Bowl Woes
According to SB Nation's Hustle Belt blog, since the College Football Playoff made its debut in the 2014 season, the Mid-American Conference has accumulated a record of 5-13 during that three-year span.
That number is a combination of nine teams minus Ball State, Buffalo and Kent State.
Central Michigan, Toledo and Western Michigan are the only three who have been bowl eligible each year, but the one program that never lost a game past the month of November was Akron, holding off Utah State in the 2015 Idaho Potato Bowl.
Along with the Chippewas, Miami (OH), Northern Illinois, Ohio and Eastern Michigan have yet to win a game, with CMU falling in the 2014 Bahamas Bowl, 2015 Quick Lane Bowl and 2016 Miami Beach Bowl.