College Football Rankings 2020: Projected AP Top 25 final rankings
By Zach Bigalke
Buffalo rebounded from their loss to Ball State in the MAC championship game to round out their season with a 17-10 takedown of Marshall in the Camellia Bowl. In a game missing both teams’ star running backs, the Bulls got a solid performance from their backup in the backfield to survive the Thundering Herd and finish the season 6-1 in the standings. It will be enough to land Buffalo in the final AP Top 25 rankings for the first time in school history.
Jaret Patterson wasn’t taking handoffs, but Kevin Marks Jr. came through with 138 yards and a touchdown on 35 carries to give Buffalo two players that averaged triple digits on the ground. Kyle Vantrease ran for a touchdown and threw for 140 yards on 16-of-27 passing. Buffalo’s defense did its job, holding Grant Wells to only 114 passing yards and a Thundering Herd backfield without Brenden Knox to only 134 total rushing yards.
Like so many other MAC championships in the past, the favorite fell to the underdog and ruined the chance for the conference to make more noise on the national level. Even so, Buffalo acquitted itself with a respectable rebound against another losing Group of Five finalist. Lance Leipold’s team is going to be rewarded for their efforts with the novelty of a number by their name at the end of the season.