And then there were three.

Prior to this past weekend, five teams were vying for the MAC West title. But when the weekend ended, one team was officially scratched off.

Despite having an early lead, Central Michigan couldn’t hang on against Western Michigan. The Chippewas fell to the Broncos 31-24 Saturday and dropped out of the division race.

As of two weeks ago, CMU looked like it had the inside track to the division title. A win against Toledo and an NIU loss to Ball State put CMU on top of the division. But after two straight losses to two of the teams still in the race, CMU will have to wait another year before heading to the MAC Championship. The three teams still in the hunt are NIU, WMU and Toledo.

The season still has importance for CMU, however. With a win over Ball State, CMU will have a bowl-eligible 6-5 overall record and its first winning season since 1998, when the team also went 6-5.

One in the win column

It was a long time coming.

Two days short of a year, to be exact.

But after almost a year, Buffalo finally gets to experience the feeling of victory.

With its 10-6 victory over Kent State Saturday, Buffalo finally ended its chances of going defeated and snapped a 10-game losing streak that dated back to Nov. 14, 2004.

The win came just four days after Buffalo Athletic Director Warde Manuel said Bulls head coach Jim Hofher would be fired after the season.

Buffalo registered six sacks, four turnovers and held KSU to -37 yards rushing.

The victory was also Buffalo’s first conference victory on the road since coming into the MAC in 1999.

Best of the week

Along with its first win, Buffalo also had a few players honored.

Running back Jared Patterson and defensive tackle Rob Schroeder were named Offensive and Defensive MAC East players of the week.

Patterson rushed for a game-high 37 yards and the game’s only touchdown while Schroeder had three tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery that led to Patterson’s score.

In the West the honors went to WMU receiver Greg Jennings and Ball State linebacker Brad Seiss.

Jennings caught eight passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns to help his team come back against CMU and stay in the hunt for the division title.

Seiss recorded 17 tackles, three for loss, in a 26-25 win at Eastern Michigan.

Sidelined

Around the league numerous teams are missing key players due to injury this season.

Three notables are NIU’s Garrett Wolfe, Bowling Green’s Omar Jacobs and Kent State’s Jon Sessler.

The nation’s leading rusher earlier this season, Wolfe has missed three games after suffering a knee injury against EMU. The junior has recently been suiting up for practice and coaches say he may be a game-time decision for the game against Toledo.

The news looks equally good for Jacobs. The MAC’s top quarterback despite missing the past two games, Jacobs has been throwing in practice as of late. But coaches will continue to keep him on the sidelines until his injury in his non-throwing shoulder heals fully.