College football is usually a rigged game. We all know how it goes. The same five or six programs with the biggest boosters and the newest weight rooms hog the playoff spots while everyone else fights for a bowl game in a baseball stadium. But then you have a year like Western Michigan 2016 football, and suddenly, the script gets shredded. It was weird. It was loud. It was honestly kind of exhausting if you weren't a Broncos fan, but man, it was effective.
P.J. Fleck was at the center of it all. Love him or hate him—and plenty of people in the MAC definitely leaned toward the latter—the guy turned Kalamazoo into the epicenter of the sport for three months. People forget that before 2016, Western Michigan wasn't exactly a powerhouse. Fleck had started his tenure there with a dismal 1-11 record in 2013. To go from that to an undefeated regular season and a Cotton Bowl berth in just three years is statistically improbable. It just doesn't happen.
The mantra was "Row The Boat." You saw it on the oars, the jerseys, the helmets, and heard it in every single interview. It became a polarizing brand. To some, it was an inspiring philosophy about perseverance; to others, it was a gimmick that felt a little too corporate-synergy-meets-Sunday-school. But here’s the thing about gimmicks: they only work if you win. And Western Michigan won every single game they played until they hit a wall named Wisconsin in January.
The Perfect Storm in Kalamazoo
What made the Western Michigan 2016 football season actually work wasn't just the shouting and the slogans. They had real players. Elite ones. Zach Terrell was the quarterback, and he was the definition of "efficient." He threw 33 touchdowns and only four interceptions that year. Think about that for a second. In an era of high-variance college passing, he basically refused to give the ball away.
Then you had Corey Davis.
Davis was a monster. He ended up being the fifth overall pick in the NFL Draft for a reason. He was a future pro playing against MAC cornerbacks who, in many cases, would be selling insurance six months later. It wasn't fair. He finished that season with 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns. When the Broncos needed a first down, Terrell just closed his eyes and threw it toward Davis. Usually, Davis caught it.
The schedule helped, sure. You can't talk about 13-0 without acknowledging that the MAC wasn't exactly the 1985 NFC Central. But they did beat two Big Ten teams on the road. They went into Evanston and beat Northwestern 22-21 in the season opener. Then they went to Champaign and absolutely dismantled Illinois 34-10. By the time they got into the heart of the conference schedule, they weren't just winning; they were bullying people. They beat Central Michigan 49-10. They dropped 45 on Eastern Michigan. They were a wagon.
👉 See also: NFL Fantasy Pick Em: Why Most Fans Lose Money and How to Actually Win
Beyond the Stats: The Culture of "Row The Boat"
If you've ever listened to P.J. Fleck talk, you know it's a lot. It’s high energy. It’s "Elite" this and "Chop" that. But in 2016, that locker room bought in completely. There’s a specific kind of magic that happens when a group of two-star and three-star recruits suddenly realizes they might be the best team in the country, or at least the best team outside the Power Five.
The "Row The Boat" thing actually had a deep personal meaning for Fleck, stemming from the loss of his son, Colt, to a heart condition. It was about moving forward even when you can't see where you're going. That's why the players didn't see it as a marketing ploy. To them, it was the connective tissue of a team that refused to blink.
The hype started building around October. College GameDay actually showed up to Kalamazoo in November for the Buffalo game. It was freezing. It was snowy. It was perfect. Seeing Lee Corso put on the Buster Bronco headgear in a parking lot in West Michigan felt like a fever dream. It was the validation that the "Group of Five" schools rarely get.
The MAC Championship and the Cotton Bowl Reality Check
The season culminated in a tense MAC Championship game against Ohio at Ford Field. It wasn't their prettiest game. Terrell threw two picks, which was half of his season total in one night. But the defense stepped up, and they ground out a 29-23 win. That victory sealed their spot in the New Year's Six.
Then came the Cotton Bowl against Wisconsin.
This is where the reality of college football physics usually catches up to the darlings of the mid-majors. Wisconsin was big. They were heavy. They played a brand of "boring" football that eventually wears down teams that rely on speed and momentum. Western Michigan hung around. They really did. Corey Davis caught a touchdown on a fourth-and-goal that made everyone think a miracle was brewing. But the Badgers just kept running the ball.
✨ Don't miss: Inter Miami vs Toronto: What Really Happened in Their Recent Clashes
The final was 24-16.
Western Michigan lost, but they didn't get embarrassed. They proved they belonged on the same field as the big boys. It was the end of an era, literally. Shortly after the game, Fleck took the job at Minnesota. The boat moved to Minneapolis.
Why 2016 Still Matters for Mid-Majors
People talk about the Cincinnati playoff run or the Boise State glory days, but Western Michigan 2016 football is the blueprint for how a "small" school can hijack the national conversation. They didn't have a history of winning. They didn't have five-star recruits. They had a coach who refused to be quiet and a roster that played mistake-free football.
Most people get it wrong when they say it was just a "weak schedule." Plenty of teams have weak schedules and lose two games they shouldn't. Winning 13 games in a row is hard regardless of who you play. It requires a level of focus that is almost impossible to maintain for twenty-year-olds who are suddenly being featured on ESPN every morning.
The Statistical Anomalies
- Turnover Margin: They were among the best in the nation. When you don't beat yourself, you're hard to beat.
- Third Down Conversions: Between Terrell's legs and Davis's hands, they stayed on the field.
- Special Teams: They had a kicker, Butch Hampton, who was incredibly reliable for a freshman in high-pressure spots.
Looking back, that season was a lightning strike. Since Fleck left, the program hasn't reached those heights again. It’s a reminder of how fragile success is at that level. You need the right coach, the right quarterback, and a generational wide receiver to all show up at the exact same time.
If you’re looking to understand how the current landscape of the expanded 12-team playoff came to be, you have to look at 2016 Western Michigan. They were one of the teams that forced the conversation: What do we do with an undefeated team that isn't in a major conference? Back then, the answer was "give them a bowl game and a pat on the head." Today, a team like that would be a terrifying out in the first round of the playoffs.
🔗 Read more: Matthew Berry Positional Rankings: Why They Still Run the Fantasy Industry
What You Should Take Away From the 2016 Run
If you're a fan of a smaller program or just a student of the game, there are a few real-world lessons from that Bronco season.
First, identity is everything. You don't have to like the "Row The Boat" branding to admit that it gave that team a singular focus. In any organization, having a weird, specific culture is better than having no culture at all.
Second, efficiency beats flash. Zach Terrell wasn't the most talented QB in the country, but he was the most disciplined. He took what the defense gave him.
Lastly, cherish the peaks. For Western Michigan, 2016 was a mountain top. It wasn't meant to last forever, but it gave a city and a university a moment where they were actually the center of the sporting world.
To really appreciate what happened, go back and watch the highlights of the 2016 Central Michigan game. It’s not just about the score. It’s about the atmosphere in the stadium. It’s about seeing a "mid-major" program play with a level of confidence that usually only exists in Tuscaloosa or Columbus.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans and Researchers:
- Analyze the Roster Construction: Look at how many players from that 2016 team actually spent time on NFL rosters. It’s more than you’d think, proving that talent evaluation at "smaller" schools is often better than the recruiting stars suggest.
- Study the "Fleck Effect": Compare the 2016 WMU stats to Fleck’s early years at Minnesota. You’ll see the same fingerprints: low turnovers, ball control, and high-percentage passing.
- Revisit the 2016 Cotton Bowl: Watch the film specifically for the line of scrimmage play. It’s a masterclass in how size advantages in the trenches eventually win out in four-quarter games, providing a sobering look at the gap between the G5 and the P5 elite.