Buffalo Bulls
2015 Results: 5-7 (3-5, 4th in East)
Returning Starters: 5 OFF, 8 DEF, 1 SP
2016 Schedule:
September:
2nd ALBANY
17th at Nevada
24th ARMY
October:
1st at Boston College
8th KENT STATE
15th BALL STATE
22nd at Northern Illinois
27th AKRON
November:
3rd at Ohio
12th MIAMI
19th at Western Michigan
25th at Bowling Green
Buffalo scares me. There, I said it. They're a scary team. They are having an absolutely massive turnover on the offensive side of the ball, with only two returning skill position players. If they are able to solve the riddle of plugging the new pieces into their spots, they can find the success that they experienced in the 2013 season and can be a force to be reckoned with. Head coach Lance Leipold is a proven winner, coming over from D3 Wisconsin Whitewater, where he won 6 titles in 8 seasons (yeah, that's solid) and is looking to turn Buffalo into a power in itself.
Offensively, they ranked as the number 43 passing attack nationally and 103 for rushing. This is quite a gap. Unfortunately for them. they are replacing a quarterback and their top 2 receivers. This is a large reason for my hesitancy to back them as a MAC power. The run game is weeeeeeeeeeak and they only return 3 linemen. As the offense is able to progress, they will progress toward wins.
The defense returns a good portion of the talent from the previous season. The defense ranked 84th nationally in defending the rush and 69th (nice) nationally in defending the pass. The passing defense is the strength and they return 3 of the 4 starters from the secondary. If your offense is going to rebuild, you have to have a strong defense to back them up and it seems that Buffalo has just that.
Player to watch: Brandon Berry
Ask yourself this "do I want to run into this guy on the football field?" Nah is an appropriate answer. He is coming off a 2nd team all-MAC season and is going to lead the LB corps that will have to pick up the slack for an offense that will be shaky at best. If they knew who would be quarterbacking them, he may be the player to watch, but my boy Berry is going to put the team on his back and carry them as long as he can
If you only watch them once, watch: 9/24 vs Army
Why? Because I support the troops. That's why! Also, this should be a fun game for them. Army always seems to be a tough out on the field. This is a winnable game for Buffalo (I have them winning it) and is also a time for you to watch the future troops toss the pigskin around.
Prediction: 5-7 (2-6, MAC)
All my love,
@corbeech
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