MOUNT PLEASANT — Central Michigan University will face Northwestern in the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit on Dec. 26, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. ET and a national broadcast on ESPN.
This marks the 16th time Central Michigan has accepted a bowl game invitation in its football program history.
“Central Michigan is honored to accept an invitation to play in the GameAbove Sports Bowl,” said Amy Folan, Zyzelewski Family Vice President/Director of Athletics at CMU. “This is an incredible experience for our student-athletes to compete at Ford Field and be recognized for their hard work and dedication throughout the season.”
Central Michigan head coach Matt Drinkall expressed enthusiasm for the matchup, stating, “We get to play in the great state of Michigan, in front of our alumni and fans. In Northwestern, we are facing a tremendous opponent from a premier conference.”
Central Michigan has a rich tradition of playing bowl games in Detroit, with this being their sixth bowl appearance in the Motor City. The Chippewas last played a bowl game in Detroit in 2015 against Minnesota in the Quick Lane Bowl.
The 2007 Motor City Bowl featuring Central Michigan set a collegiate attendance record with 60,624 fans, highlighting the strong support for the team in Detroit.
Central Michigan’s last bowl game appearance was in 2021, where they defeated Washington State 24-21 in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.