The American Athletic Conference standings tell an incomplete story, with COVID-related cancellations and postponements not only muddying the title chase but affecting title contenders.

For No. 19 SMU (7-1, 4-1 AAC), the knee-jerk reaction to its upcoming road game against Tulsa (3-1, 3-0 AAC) on Saturday is that a victory is mandatory. The Mustangs' lone loss came to front-running Cincinnati, and with the Golden Hurricane sporting an unbeaten conference mark, SMU seemingly can ill-afford a second AAC loss if it maintains designs on a conference crown.

But with Tulsa having had six games affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including two cancellations, it's impossible to predict how the remainder of the season will unfold, particularly for the Mustangs, who already have eight results in the bank and could spend a handful of idle weeks watching the rest of the competition slug it out for league positioning.