The MAC is a one-bid league. There is so much parity that a loss by the Bulls in conference was a statistical certainty. Another loss or two is highly likely, resulting in a slip out of the Top-25. Just because Buffalo beat Syracuse who went on to beat Duke says far more about the uncertainty of game outcomes than their predictability.
The NCAA tournament is about P5 schools and automatic bids for the non-P5 conference tournament winners. The only way non-P5 conferences can improve their stature and secure at-large bids is to schedule the P5 teams OOC and beat them. Here's what the other MAC teams attempted this season, pre-conference:
Akron lost to Clemson, Xavier, and Purdue
Ball St lost to Purdue, Alabama, and VA Tech
BGSU lost to St Johns
CMU lost to TCU
EMU lost to Duke, Rutgers, and Kansas
Kent St lost to Louisville; beat Vanderbilt and Oregon St
Miami-Oh lost to Butler and Xavier
NIU lost to Michigan St
Ohio lost to Xavier and Purdue
WMU lost to Ole Miss, Cinci, and Michigan