Search 4thand4cast

Search the site.

Try , , or .

Powered by Pagefind

Buffalo

Bulls · Mid-American

GIE rank
#63
of 138 FBS
Rating
1569
2026 Week 11
Record
5-3
2026 season
Proj record
8-4
12-game season

Head coach Pete Lembo Year 2 with Buffalo

Year-2 HCs (2015-2024) averaged +0.09 W vs. preseason expectation

Season projection

2026 W11 · 10,000 sims
Expected wins
7.7
2.7 more wins in 4 left
Win range (90%)
6 to 9
Final rank (90%)
#60 (45–81)
Make playoff
0%
Win conference
1%

Path to glory

No remaining game changes Buffalo's playoff odds. Make playoff 0%

Schedule

Full 2026 slate. Tap a row for the matchup breakdown.

Schedule and results
Week Opponent Result or win prob.Result or win probability
Wk 1 Sep 3 vs UAlbany Non-FBS Win, 21-17 Final
Wk 2 Sep 12 at Florida International Conference USA Loss, 20-33 Final
Wk 3 Sep 19 at Penn State Big Ten Loss, 13-55 Final
Wk 4 Sep 26 vs Robert Morris Non-FBS Win, 31-28 Final
Wk 5 Oct 3 vs Western Michigan Mid-American Loss, 17-20 Final
Wk 6 Oct 10 at Toledo Mid-American Win, 23-8 Final
Wk 7 Oct 17 vs Massachusetts Mid-American Win, 25-18 Final
Wk 8 Oct 24 vs Bowling Green Mid-American Win, 31-24 Final
Wk 9 Bye
Wk 10 Nov 4 at Miami (OH) Mid-American Win probability: 22%
Wk 11 Nov 11 at Ball State Mid-American Win probability: 67%
Wk 12 Nov 18 vs Central Michigan Mid-American Win probability: 71%
Wk 13 Nov 27 at Akron Mid-American Win probability: 79%

Latest stories

  • Recap

    Buffalo: 2026 Week 11 recap

    Buffalo sits at 5–3 with a rating of −12, holding rank 118 nationally after a 31–24 home win over Bowling Green in Week 8. The rating hasn't budged since last week, reflecting a stalled trajectory despite the victory; the Bulls are…

  • Recap

    Buffalo: 2026 Week 7 recap

    Buffalo sits at 2–3 after dropping Week 5 at home to Western Michigan, 20–17, a loss that didn't budge their GIE rating of –17.2 (ranked 124th). The culprit is evident in the numbers: a red-zone TD rate of just 15% means scoring…

  • Recap

    Buffalo: 2026 Week 3 recap

    Buffalo sits at 1–0 after scraping past UAlbany 21–17 in Week 1, but the narrow margin hints at deeper concerns. GIE rates the Bulls at –12.7, ranking them 111th nationally—a rating that hasn't budged week-to-week, suggesting the model…

In the news

More coming. Per-team pages get the full treatment in Phase 3: current rating, season projection histogram, schedule with win probabilities, and live overlays on Pylon stream days. For now, this page exists so stories and news have a permanent home as content rolls in.

If QB1 is out

Ta'Quan Roberson

GIE projects a -0.2 rating drop and a -0.9pp shift in playoff probability if Buffalo loses its QB1 for an extended stretch. (n=1 historical samples; pooled across recent seasons.)

Returning production · 2026

25 score

  • Quarterback 2% (2/5)
  • Offensive line 61% (11/18) players
  • Skill (RB/WR/TE) 25% (18/32)
  • Front 7 (DL/LB) 14% (15/30)
  • Secondary 50% (15/23)
  • Special teams 0% (2/6)

Share of last season's production each unit returns. Higher means more continuity: 70%+ is healthy, 45–70% a normal rebuild, under 45% a major turnover.

Portal additions · 2026

−1.4 rating

12 proven transfers in, carrying the production below from their prior school.

Buffalo incoming transfers
Player From Impact
Trevor WilsonTE From Campbell Campbell 38
Zae JenningsS From West Virginia West Virginia 10
Drayson CraneCB From Morehead State Morehead State 8
Caleb OliverEDGE From Wofford Wofford 8
Sayre SmothersCB From The Citadel The Citadel 4
Joey CheshireLB From Cornell Cornell 2

Impact scores offensive skill additions (QB/RB/WR/TE) — prior-season production normalized within position (100 ≈ a 90th-percentile producer at that spot) and discounted for non-FBS competition, so a top back counts alongside a top quarterback. Defensive and O-line additions count as transfers but aren't box-score measurable, so they carry no impact score. The rating figure is this class's portal contribution vs. the FBS average, capped at ±2.5.

Situational efficiency · 2025

FBS percentile rank
  • 3rd-down conversion 35.5%
    39th — below avg
  • Red-zone TD rate 15.0%
    53th — average
  • 4th-down aggression 31.0%
    25th — below avg
  • Late & close 5.0 yds/play
    49th — average

Percentile is across all FBS teams with play-by-play data for the season. "Late & close" is yards per play in Q4+ with a one-score margin — a proxy for clutch offensive performance.