The Mid-American Conference announced on Friday that Saturday's contest between the University at Buffalo Bulls and the Ohio Bobcats has been canceled due to "roster issues with the Ohio football team related to positive COVID-19 tests and subsequent contact tracing."
The game is being declared as a no contest.
"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," Bulls head coach Lance Leipold said in a team statement. "I'm extremely proud of our student-athletes, coaches and staff. They have done everything the right way during these difficult times. In fact, we didn't have a single positive case this week. We were looking forward to playing Ohio, but we will now shift our attention to our next opponent, Akron."
Sitting at 4-0 in the MAC East standings, UB had the chance to clinch a division title with a win on Saturday in Athens, Ohio.
However, with Kent State's scheduled matchup with the Miami (OH) RedHawks this Saturday canceled due to COVID-19 concerns and the Bulls holding the tie-breaker on the Golden Flashes, it is believed the MAC will officially declare the Bulls as the 2020 MAC East division champions. However, no official announcement has been made as of Friday evening.
UB beat Kent State last Saturday at UB Stadium, 70-41, where running back Jaret Patterson ran for 409 yards and tied a FBS record with eight touchdown runs in the win.
The Bobcats already had a game canceled this season due to COVID-19 back on Nov. 17, also against the RedHawks.
The 2020 MAC season had already been shortened to six conference games due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The conference will hold its championship game on Friday, Dec. 18 in Detroit, Michigan.
The Bulls will close out its regular season schedule at home on Saturday, Dec. 12 against the Akron Zips. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. EST and can be heard on our sister station, ESPN 1520.