Western Michigan·Mid-American

2016 — The Ten-Win Year

Western Michigan's 2016 season (13-1) is a middle chapter: table-stakes progress, no crown in the ledger, the program still writing the book.

Record 13-1
Final result 13-win season Lost the Cotton Bowl Classic
AP final #12 post-bowls
SP+ +4.8 last-week
Era —
The shape of the season · week by week, cumulative W-L below
W @ Northw 22-21 W vs Nort Cen 70-21 W @ Illinois 34-10 W vs Geor Sou 49-31 W @ Cent Mic 49-10 W vs Nort Ill 45-30 W @ Akron 41-0 W vs East Mic 45-31 W @ Ball Sta 52-20 W @ Kent Sta 37-21 W vs Buffalo 38-0 W vs Toledo 55-35 W @ Ohio 29-23 L @ Wiscon 16-24 Bowl

Who carried it

Season leaders, 2016.

Defining moments
The statement

The 2016 season's largest margin: Western Michigan 70, North Carolina Central 21. A 49-point win — the year's high-water mark.

The setback

The season's deepest loss: Western Michigan 16, Wisconsin 24. A 8-point margin the season is remembered by.

The postseason

The season's last act: Western Michigan fell to Wisconsin 16-24 in the postseason.

"Row the Boat"
— Western Michigan fanbase voice · 2016· synthesized
What it meant

2016 is a middle chapter for Western Michigan — neither a crown year nor a crisis. It is the kind of season that fills the ledger between the named ones and gives the arc its shape.