College Football Predictions – Buffalo Bulls 2017 NCAA Football Preview
2016 Recap
2016 Record – 2-10
2016 ATS – 4-8
The Bulls sputtered their way to a 2-10 record last season. It was a young team, and expectations were not high, but it is never good to finish with only a pair of wins. They even lost to something called Albany. That was a HARBINGER of things to come. They did get a look at their QB of the future. Let’s see what is in store this year. <grabs popcorn>
2017 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating
MAC – TBD
East Division – TBD
OFFENSE
It will be interesting to see what QB Tyree Jackson is capable of in his sophomore season. Last year he had a 9-9 TD to INT ratio but did rush for 5 TDs and showed promise. The Bulls have had several really good running backs in recent years and it remains to be seen if Jonathan Hawkins can step into the void left by departing 1,000-yard man Jordan Johnson. There is almost a complete reload at the starting WR and TE positions and we worry about the passing attack. Stellar TE Mason Schreck led the team in receptions but was drafted by the Bengals in this year’s NFL draft. Some good news ? The offensive line could be a team strength as they return four starters and have nice size. Buffalo only managed 16.5 (!) points per game last season but we expect a pretty big improvement. They won’t light things up but should be good enough to compete in most MAC games.
DEFENSE
We like the potential on defense. The Bulls yielded 32 points per game last season but have 8 starters back in the mix including a number of really good players. The strength of the defense will be a deep and experienced LB unit that features last season’s leading tackler and 2nd Team MAC honoree Khalil Hodge. They have some good size on the DL. The secondary is talented and features a pair of senior safeties and a solid CB in Cameron Lewis. If they can find a way to get more PENETRATION the defense could be pretty good. They only bagged 17 sacks last year which ranked them 2nd last in the MAC.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The unit is probably going to struggle again. Last season was a bit of a disaster across the board and everyone is back this season.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot
Nothing of note. Road games are pretty well spaced out. Schedule is manageable. They avoid Albany but do have a date with Colgate.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
MEGALOCKS MAC INSIDERS are some of the few people on the planet who have seen Buffalo participate in a bowl game LIVE and IN PERSON. UConn beat them 38-20 in the 2008 International Bowl. The Bulls are 0-2 all-time in bowl games.
MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10) 6.5
MEGALOCKS says:
Overall, we give the BULLS a 6.5 ATS Value Rating (Above Average) this season.
The Bulls are going to struggle to make a bowl game. No doubt about that. It should be noted, however, that there is some upside with this squad when you consider they have a young QB who could take a nice step forward and a defense that promises to be stingy in their MACTION contests.
From a betting perspective – Running game + defense + under the radar team nobody likes to bet = value in our books. We do realize HC Lance Leipold is 9-15 ATS in his two seasons in Buffalo but think we could see some covers as underdogs in 2017.
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