Buffalo yet to be informed by MAC it has clinched East title

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) The undefeated Buffalo Bulls are awaiting word from the Mid-American Conference as to whether they have, in fact, clinched the East Division title after their game at Ohio was canceled and declared a no contest on Friday.

Athletic director Mark Alnutt said he believes Buffalo ”has a great case to make” to be division champions, but added he likely won’t get an official ruling from the conference until early next week. That’s a switch after school officials indicated earlier in the day that Buffalo had clinched the division title and a berth in the conference championship game in Detroit in two weeks.

The game at Ohio on Saturday was canceled because the Bobcats’ roster was depleted as a result of players testing positive for COVID-19.

Buffalo is 4-0, and needed a win over Ohio (2-1) to clinch the title. With one game left for both schools after this weekend, Ohio was the only division rival in position to mathematically still win the East.

A message left with a MAC official was not returned.

It’s unclear whether the conference will attempt to reschedule the game after announcing the cancelation. The MAC season was already condensed, with each school playing a six-game schedule.

Ohio already had its game against Miami, Ohio, on Nov. 17 canceled due to COVID-19.

The Bulls were on the road to Athens, Ohio, when they learned of the cancelation. The team’s five-bus caravan pulled over at a rest stop and then turned around to travel back home.

”While we are disappointed our game at Ohio has been canceled, the health and safety of our student athletes continues to be our top priority,” Buffalo coach Lance Leipold said in a statement released by the school, noting his team did not have any players test positive this week.

Buffalo is scheduled to close its season hosting Akron on Dec. 12. The Bulls are led by Jaret Patterson, who ran for 409 yards and eight touchdowns last weekend in a 70-41 win over Kent State.

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