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The MAC faces its second cancelation of its regular season’s final week.
Saturday’s game between Miami (OH) and Bowling Green in Bowling Green, OH has been canceled due to positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing within the RedHawks’ program. The game has been declared a no contest.
The MAC has now canceled five of its 36 scheduled regular season games (13.9%). All five cancelations have affected the MAC East, and Akron is the only division member on track to play out its schedule unscathed.
This is the third cancelation for the RedHawks this season and the first one due to COVID-19 issues within their roster. If Miami does not reschedule another game or draw a bowl bid, it will finish the season 2-1. The RedHawks’ previous game against Kent State also faced a cancelation, and the defending MAC champions has not seen the field since a 38-7 victory over Akron on Nov. 28.
Barring a reschedule or bowl appearance, Miami will complete its second consecutive winning season under Chuck Martin, despite a severely limited sample size in 2020. Bowl appearances will be scarce for the MAC this season as the number of bowl cancelations is up to 10, and MAC-affiliated bowls such as the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl are considering offering bids to other conferences. Thus, Miami’s chances of locking up a bowl bid are questionable.
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl is usually MAC vs. Mountain West. Not final yet, but Tulane appears to be in line for a bid — which isn’t great for the MAC’s bowl prospects. https://t.co/yq06BSVkPo
— Hustle Belt (@HustleBelt) December 10, 2020
Bowling Green had been undeterred by cancelations until this moment. The Falcons, sitting at a winless 0-5 in the standings, are not planning to schedule a replacement game per Nick Piotrowicz of The Toledo Blade.
Bowling Green’s players found out they weren’t playing in the middle of practice today. BG is not looking for a replacement game, so the season is finished. They’re on track, as of now, to begin workouts again in January.
— Nick Piotrowicz (@NickPBlade) December 10, 2020
Thus, Bowling Green will enter the fall 2021 campaign riding an 8-game losing streak dating back to 2019. The 2020 Falcons finished with a point differential of -168, losing games by an average margin of 33.6 points. Bowling Green returns to workouts in January, aiming to improve the direction program after five consecutive losing seasons.