Buffalo vs. Syracuse

Buffalo and Syracuse have 5 meetings on file, the first in 1899; officially, Syracuse leads 2–⁠1; as played, 4–⁠1 in the games on file. Over the last 5 meetings it’s Syracuse 4–⁠1, and Syracuse has won the last 4. The NCAA vacated Syracuse’s two wins (2004 and 2005); they don’t count officially. This page counts every game as it was played.

Official series
Syracuse leads 2–⁠1
Buffalo wins on file
1
Syracuse wins on file
4
Ties
0
Earliest on file
1899
Longest streak
4 Syracuse
Current streak
4 Syracuse
Last 10 meetings
Syracuse 4–⁠1
Most recent
2007

The series at a glance

Every meeting by decade, colored by the winner
’0’1’2’3’4’5’6’7’8’9W–L
1890s1–⁠0
2000s0–⁠4
Average margin
26.2 points; 1 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
At Buffalo
0–⁠1 Buffalo’s record at home
At Syracuse
3–⁠1 Syracuse’s record at home
Shutouts
2

Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.

Games that tell the story

  1. Buffalo’s biggest win1899: Buffalo 16, Syracuse 0by 16 points
  2. Syracuse’s biggest win2000: Syracuse 63, Buffalo 7by 56 points
  3. Upset1899: Buffalo 16, Syracuse 0Buffalo had a 14% chance, by our ratings before kickoff

Both programs through the years

End-of-season Elo ratings of Buffalo and Syracuse, 1899 on1300150017001900192019401960198020002020

Our Elo rating at the end of each season, a measure of how strong a team was, not a forecast; 1500 is an average FBS team.

Stars of the series

Biggest days

Damien Rhodes Syracuse28 carries, 236 yards, 4 TD2005 Rushing

Biggest days: the week’s best individual games by our big-days rule, from box scores (2004 on).

Every game

Oct 20, 2007Syracuse 20, Buffalo 12at Syracuse
Sep 10, 2005Syracuse 31, Buffalo 0vacatedat Syracuse
Sep 11, 2004Syracuse 37, Buffalo 17vacatedat Buffalo
Sep 2, 2000Syracuse 63, Buffalo 7at Syracuse
Nov 4, 1899Buffalo 16, Syracuse 0at Syracuse

Every game is listed as played on the field; a win the NCAA later vacated is marked “vacated”; the official series above counts them the NCAA’s way.