Buffalo moves into tie for first

Football
Buffalo evened the MAC East standings with a win over Ohio.
The Zips and Bulls both have 2-2 conference records, thanks to James Starks' 186 rushing yards and seven Bobcat fumbles (four lost) in Buffalo's 32-19 win.
The great thing about conference games is, even when a contender wins, it usually means a contender loses. The game essentially knocks Ohio (1-4) out of the running.
Another example of this phenomenon will occur Saturday, when Kent State travels to Bowling Green. The loser of that game picks up its fourth MAC loss, and that team is also essentially eliminated. On Tuesday, Miami will travel to Buffalo. The result of that game will either basically eliminate Miami (by giving the RedHawks their fourth loss) or put Akron back in first place by itself.
I say that four losses "basically eliminates" a team, but that does not mean four losses cannot win this division. Four losses at this point in the season, however, means a team has to win the rest of its games, which is unlikely for a team that has only won 20-25 percent of its MAC games so far.

Notes...
The ABJ's Michael Beaven wrote about Dennis Kennedy's career.
Neither of ESPN.com's experts think Akron is heading for a bowl game. I don't blame them. At this point, the Zips are fifth in the MAC's pecking order, behind Ball State, Central Michigan, Western Michigan and Northern Illinois. Despite all of this talk about leading the division, a bowl game is unlikely. The Zips probably would have to win the MAC Championship. If they lose the MAC Championship, they would have to be 7-5 heading into the game to be bowl eligible. Even then, those MAC West teams will have better arguments.