Buffalo
MAC · 7–3 · 5–1 in conference · MRI Classic #80
Who to root for this week
Nothing this weekend moves the needle.
How this rating is built
Power = w × (average margin counted + average opponent rating) + (1 − w) × preseason prior, where w = games ÷ (games + 4). After 10 games, w is 71%, so the preseason prior is 29% of this rating. Every game played shrinks that share.
| Part | Value | Weight | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margin counted | +1.4 avg | × 71% | +1.0 |
| Opponents faced | -15.0 avg | × 71% | -10.7 |
| Preseason prior | -17.4 | × 29% | -5.0 |
| Power | -14.7 | ||
This explains how the model reached the number. The opponent ratings come out of the same fitted model, so it is not independent proof that the rating is right.
Results
Expected is the margin the model's ratings imply for that matchup and site. Perf is how far the actual margin beat it — the result against expectation. Adds is a different question: how many points of Power the game contributes, counting its margin and the strength of the opponent together. A game can beat expectation and still add little, or the reverse. Adds, plus the preseason prior, sum to Power (figures are rounded so the column adds up). Hover an Adds figure for its arithmetic.
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Expected | Perf | Adds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vs | UAlbany FCS | W 21–17 | +22.1 | -18.1 | -2.2 |
| 2 | at | FIU | L 20–33 | -5.7 | -7.3 | -1.8 |
| 3 | at | Penn State | L 13–55 | -29.2 | -12.8 | -2.0 |
| 4 | vs | Robert Morris FCS | W 31–28 | +22.1 | -19.1 | -3.0 |
| 5 | vs | Western Michigan | L 17–20 | -11.1 | +8.1 | -0.5 |
| 6 | at | Toledo | W 23–8 | -15.6 | +30.6 | +1.4 |
| 7 | vs | UMass | W 25–18 | +7.1 | -0.1 | -0.9 |
| 8 | vs | Bowling Green | W 31–24 | +7.5 | -0.5 | -0.9 |
| 10 | at | Miami (OH) | W 34–31 | -8.2 | +11.2 | -0.2 |
| 11 | at | Ball State | W 28–7 | +5.2 | +15.8 | +0.4 |
| Preseason prior (29% of the rating) | -5.0 | |||||
| Power | -14.7 | |||||
Remaining schedule
| Wk | Opponent | Projected | Win prob | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | vs | Central Michigan | -0.3 | 49% |
| 13 | at | Akron | +5.1 | 62% |
Coaches
| Coach | Years | Record | Mean added |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craig Cirbus | 1999–2000 | 2-20 | -13.2 |
| Jim Hofher | 2001–2005 | 8-49 | -7.3 |
| Turner Gill | 2006–2009 | 20-30 | -0.3 |
| Jeff Quinn | 2010–2014 | 20-36 | -4.8 |
| Lance Leipold | 2015–2020 | 37-33 | +0.5 |
| Maurice Linguist | 2021–2024 | 14-23 | -2.2 |
| Pete Lembo | 2025–2026 | 12-10 | -6.4 |
Season by season
Best finish: #31 in 2019. 27 seasons rated. The two columns' numbers are not comparable; the rank within each is. Season links open that year's game log.
Finishing rank, best at the top, on an axis running to 150 — this team's own range, not the size of the field. Two lines where both ratings cover a season - MRI 2.0 in red, Classic in grey. Hover a point for the season.
| Season | Rec | MRI 2.0 | MRI Classic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5–7 | #115 of 136 · -13.48 | – |
| 2024 | 9–4 | #105 of 134 · -9.93 | – |
| 2023 | 3–9 | #120 of 133 · -15.86 | – |
| 2022 | 7–6 | #101 of 131 · -9.74 | – |
| 2021 | 4–8 | #107 of 130 · -11.80 | – |
| 2020 | 6–1 | #36 of 128 · 6.95 | – |
| 2019 | 8–5 | #56 of 130 · 1.44 | #31 of 130 · 48.05 |
| 2018 | 10–4 | #68 of 130 · -0.00 | #41 of 130 · 39.62 |
| 2017 | 6–6 | #95 of 130 · -8.49 | #67 of 130 · 22.98 |
| 2016 | 2–10 | #127 of 128 · -22.87 | #127 of 128 · -63.58 |
| 2015 | 5–7 | #98 of 128 · -10.78 | #87 of 128 · 1.51 |
| 2014 | 5–6 | #98 of 128 · -10.97 | #81 of 128 · 5.76 |
| 2013 | 8–5 | #77 of 125 · -4.59 | #59 of 126 · 29.62 |
| 2012 | 4–8 | #105 of 124 · -14.16 | #83 of 124 · 1.48 |
| 2011 | 3–9 | #111 of 120 · -17.58 | #107 of 120 · -34.21 |
| 2010 | 2–10 | #115 of 120 · -21.53 | #112 of 120 · -38.99 |
| 2009 | 5–7 | #84 of 120 · -7.19 | #72 of 120 · 15.92 |
| 2008 | 8–6 | #78 of 120 · -5.03 | #50 of 120 · 33.29 |
| 2007 | 5–7 | #101 of 119 · -14.21 | #86 of 120 · 3.68 |
| 2006 | 2–10 | #116 of 119 · -23.04 | #112 of 119 · -39.35 |
| 2005 | 1–10 | #119 of 119 · -27.16 | #117 of 119 · -57.01 |
| 2004 | 2–9 | #117 of 117 · -24.75 | #117 of 117 · -55.70 |
| 2003 | 1–11 | #115 of 117 · -26.58 | #115 of 117 · -52.60 |
| 2002 | 1–11 | #115 of 117 · -25.42 | – |
| 2001 | 3–8 | #112 of 117 · -23.53 | – |
| 2000 | 2–9 | #115 of 116 · -32.90 | – |
| 1999 | 0–11 | #114 of 114 · -33.64 | – |