The Central Michigan football program finished up its 2020 season last Saturday, which resulted in a 24-23 loss at Toledo.

Following the last-minute defeat, head coach Jim McElwain said losing three games in this conference is 'unacceptable', as the Chippewas finished the season with a 3-3 record.

It's been 11 years since CMU has won a game at the Glass Bowl, and while the team showed a lot of potential at times this season, the expectations after last season's MAC West title were too high to accept a 3-3 record.

The Chippewas lost 3 of the final 4 games of the season, but the team's struggles started well before that. Some could argue, before the season even began, as expected starting quarterback David Moore never got a ruling on his eligibility from the NCAA and was unable to play. While players do have the options to seek an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic, Moore has said he hasn't made a decision yet, and is still waiting to hear from the NCAA on his eligibility.

And so it was CMU left with two options. Redshirt freshman Daniel Richardson, or new transfer Ty Brock. It ended up being much more than just a few options. McElwain seemingly squeezed everything out of a roster that struggled with quarterback play, and was severely hindered by injuries. Standout defensive lineman LaQuan Johnson was lost for the season in the first game, and Richardson was injured early on against Eastern Michigan, among many others including sophomore guard Danny Motowski.

Richardson showed flashes of a strong arm and good understanding of the playbook at times, but looked lost at others. In his place, following what ended up being a relatively minor ankle injury, Brock showed good speed with his legs while ultimately struggling to throw the ball. Because of the uncertainty at quarterback, and simply a way to get the ball into your best players hands, we saw a mirage of wildcat packages from Charlie Frye. Kalil Pimpleton, Kobe Lewis and Darius Bracy handled the majority of direct snaps. Pimepleton also threw many passes. But every football fan can agree, these plays cannot be sustained over the course of the seasos, and that showed.

It was a breakout year for redshirt freshman Lew Nichols, who has high expectations behind him. he ran for 524 yards and 4 touchdowns on the year, averaging nearly 85 yards per game. As his touches continue to increase, he will continue to grow in the offense.

So where do the Chippewas go from here?

There are still a lot of decisions to make. Who takes the extra year of eligibility, who leaves, and what incoming freshman may make an impact? But as always, the biggest question over the past 6 years remains for 2021, who will be the starting quarterback?

If Moore is eligible, and sticks around for another year, money would be on him. Richardson would be next in line with Brock seemingly being the third QB. However, McElwain has shown a heavy tendency to bring in transfer quarterbacks, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see another one join the roster. Incoming freshman Jase Bauer, a recent commit, would also be in the mix.

At the very least the team will return four starters from the offensive line, and every wide receiver except for Jacorey Sullivan. Sullivan would be a good candidate to return with eligibility. Running backs Kobe Lewis, Nichols and Bracy will all be back to round out what should be a very good offense in 2020.

On defense, depending on decisions from Mohammed Diallo and Robi Stuart, the team could return all starters up front. Troy Brown and George Douglas will both return at the linebacker position and Kumehnnu Gwilly has already announced he will be back with the team next year.

Sounds good, right? Well, if the Chippewas want to be serious contenders, there's no question they will need to clean up the back end of the defense which was burned by opposing offenses this season. All starting defensive backs from this year will return, and you have to think that extra year of experience will help. But the secondary needs a leader. Devonni Reed appeared to be stepping into that role, and JUCO transfer Dishon McNary also showed leadership on the field this season. They simply must be better in order for CMU to win the MAC in 2021.

The 2021 non-conference schedule includes road games at Missouri and at LSU, and home games against Robert Morris and Florida International. The season is set to begin on Saturday, September 4. The Chippewas have already announced they will not seek postseason play in 2020.