Buffalo Bulls 2023 College Football Preview
June 17, 2023
2022 Recap
Record – 7-6
ATS – 7-4-1 (vs FBS)
“We’re going streaking!” <Frank the Tank> <Old School> <2003>
The Bulls were a STREAKY bunch last season and the first streak wasn’t a good one. They dropped their first three games and those losses included a home defeat at the hands of FCS foe Holy Cross. Buffalo then proceeded to rattle off five consecutive wins, the last of which was a yuuuge victory over the eventual MAC champs from Toledo. Then, their divisional hopes went GLUG GLUG GLUG as they dropped the next three contests. They finished on a high note with a Camellia Bowl triumph over Georgia Southern (W 23-21) to finish with a winning record.
Buffalo Bulls Redhawks 2023 Outlook
OFFENSE
The Bulls only averaged 142 YPG on the ground LY (#7 MAC) and that was a far cry from the success of the previous three seasons (190, 287, 250). We expect the ground game to be significantly improved this year as they’ve got one of the best lines in the MAC and the 1-2 RB combo of Mike Washington and Ron Cook Jr combined for 1,225 yards LY (11 TD). Also note that those two doods are adept at catching the ball out of the backfield (39 combined receptions LY). QB Cole Snyder is one of the best signal-callers in the conference (3,030, 18-8 TD to INT LY) but there’s a yuuuge question mark at WR and TE. It’s basically a BARREN WASTELAND in terms of THROW GAME targets but we’ll keep an eye on things during the summer and see if anyone intriguing emerges.into view.
DEFENSE
Buffalo was pretty good vs the pass LY (#3 MAC pass efficiency D) and they tied for the MAC lead with 13 INTs.
Unfortunately, they displayed a SOFT UNDERBELLY vs the run (169 YPG, #10 MAC) and that was the main source of their downfall on many occasions in 2022. Things look pretty good this year as the DL is filled with talent and experience. They also feature tackling-machine LB Shaun Dolac and 3rd Team AA safety Marcus Fuqua (7 INT, T1 FBS) in the secondary. The only concern we have for the stop unit is a potential lack of PENETRATION ability as the Bulls only managed to book 24 sacks LY (2nd last MAC).
SPECIAL TEAMS
Buffalo looks STACKED in the kicking department with star PK Alex McNulty (24/28 FG LY) and punter Anthony Venneri (43.0) both returning for duty. They were horrible on PRs in 2022 (#130 FBS) but Ron Cook did a good job on KR (19-410, 21.6).
Schedule Analysis
Overall – They have tough road games at Wisconsin (opener) and Toledo but otherwise things look pretty reasonable. The home date with Ohio on November 7th just might determine the winner of the MAC East. <grabs popcorn>
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – at Miami Ohio (Nov 15)
This will be their 3rd road game in four and they’ll be coming off tough contests vs Toledo and Ohio. The Redhawks will be looking for revenge after Buffalo upended them 24-20 LY in Buffalo.
Season Win Total
Market consensus June 17 <wide range of prices are available>
Over 6.5 -105
Under 6.5 -115
MEGALOCKS says:
Lean: Over
We project the Bulls to win five or six conference games and they get Fordham and Liberty at home.
MEGAmazing Tidbit
The city of Buffalo is not only famous for their 27-foot tall snowdrifts but also for delicious BUFFALO wings. Legend has it that Anchor Bar ** owner Teressa Bellissimo invented chicken wings back in 1964. The wings were originally planned to be used in a soup, but instead, they were tossed in some yummy hot sauce and served with a side of celery and blue cheese dressing. BOOM. Chicken wings were born!
** Been there. WHOA, NELLIE. Good wings, yo.
MEGALOCKS Forecast:
The Bulls look just fine on both sides of the football and are legit contenders in the MAC East. The only significant question mark appears to be a lack of punch at WR/TE. On the bright side, Buffalo has a very good QB and the defense will be improved from a season ago. MAC beware, the Bulls are on the loose!