2026 Buffalo
4–3 (2–1 Mid-American Conference), coached by Pete Lembo. The season’s Wikipedia article records 3–3, over six games to the seven on file here. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Toledo 23–8Oct 10
By 15 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Massachusetts 25–18Oct 17
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | vs UAlbany | W 21–17 | 82% |
| Sep 12 | at Florida International | L 20–33 | 43% |
| Sep 19 | at 14Penn State | L 13–55 | 16% |
| Sep 26 | vs Robert Morris | W 31–28 | 80% |
| Oct 3 | vs Western Michigan | L 17–20 | 40% |
| Oct 10 | at Toledo | W 23–8 | 22% |
| Oct 17 | vs Massachusetts | W 25–18 | 73% |
| Oct 24 | vs Bowling Green | Preview | 69% |
| Nov 3 | at Miami (OH) | Preview | 40% |
| Nov 11 | at Ball State | Preview | 61% |
| Nov 18 | vs Central Michigan | Preview | 63% |
| Nov 27 | at Akron | Preview | 63% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
- Record
- 4–3
- Conference
- 2–1 tied for 4th in Mid-American Conference
- AP now
- Unranked
- Points
- 150–179
- Coach
- Pete Lembo
- Elo
- 1474 +25 this season
- SP+ rating
- -13.9 No. 123 of 138; offense No. 130, defense No. 94, special teams No. 9
- SRS
- −15.3 No. 122 of 138 in FBS
- Returning
- -1% of last season’s EPA, No. 133 of 136
- Recruiting class
- No. 101 roster talent No. 120 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Tony Tokarz
- Defensive coordinator
- Brian Dougherty
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.00 | 32% | 1.22 | 108th of 138 |
| Defense | 0.13 | 42% | 1.15 | 78th of 138 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.08 off 0.15 def | 35% off 43% def | — | 84th off 100th def |
Passing and running
| Pass success | Depth of target | Deep throws | Line yards | Stuffed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 36% | 9.6 yds | 14% | 3.00 | 14% |
| Defense | 39% | 9.5 yds | 16% | 3.10 | 15% |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played. Passing and running: depth of target is how far downfield passes traveled in the air; deep throws are the share thrown deep, of the passes whose depth and direction the play-by-play describes (about half); line yards are the running yards per carry credited to the blockers; stuffed is the share of carries stopped at or behind the line. The defense’s line is what its opponents did. From CollegeFootballData.com, 2025 on.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.5 | own 29 | 16% allowed |
| Defense | 3.3 | own 28 | 16% caused |
CORE rating -15.1, 125th of 138 (offense -9.4, defense 5.8).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Jason Wright QB | 860 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Jason Wright QB | 6 TD |
| Rushing yards | Messiah Burch RB | 661 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Jason Wright QB | 2 TD |
| Receiving yards | Chance Morrow WR | 444 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Chance Morrow WR | 6 TD |
| Tackles | Saveon Brown LB | 59 tkl |
| Sacks | Logan Goodwin DE | 2 sacks |
| Interceptions | Kobi Blackwell CB | 1 INT |
Top recruits in the 2026 class
| Malachi Ervin DE | ★★★ | No. 508 |
| Chase Enlow RB | ★★★ | No. 966 |
| Qur’an McNeill QB | ★★★ | No. 1066 |
| Aiden Anderson DE | ★★★ | No. 1846 |
| Royce Rogers DL | ★★★ | No. 1914 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2026 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.871 |
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.873 |
| Receivers | 3 | 3.0 | 0.835 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.833 |
| Defensive line | 5 | 3.0 | 0.856 |
| Linebackers | 4 | 3.0 | 0.847 |
| Defensive backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.848 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 3.0 | 0.824 |
| Whole class | 19 | 3.0 | 0.847 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 118
The 2026 roster118 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2026 line; 51 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 16
The 2026 portal Sayre Smothers CB | ★★★ | from  The Citadel |
 Joe Crocker OL | ★★★ | from  Baylor |
 Joey Cheshire LB | ★★★ | from  Cornell |
| Logan Goodwin DE | ★★★ | from IU Pennsylvania |
 Nathan Natoli OT | ★★★ | from  Bucknell |
 Nino Francavilla OL | ★★★ | from  Miami |
 Stantavious Smith DL | ★★★ | from  Florida A&M |
 Caleb Oliver DE | ★★★ | from  Wofford |
| Elijah Holmes QB | ★★★ | from Wingate |
 Stevie Bracey LB | ★★★ | from  Virginia |
| Zach Bergmann LB | ★★★ | from Missouri Southern State |
| Mason Nickel DL | ★★★ | from Saginaw Valley State |
And 4 more, lower-rated or unrated.
Transfers out 16
 Henry Tabansi OT | ★★★ | to  UCF |
| Junior Poyser DL | ★★★ | to  Wisconsin |
| Victor Snow WR | ★★★ | to  NC State |
| Demetrius Ballard DE | ★★★ | to  Boston College |
| Dion Crawford LB | ★★★ | to  Michigan State |
| Jalen McNair S | ★★★ | to Virginia |
| Nik McMillan WR | ★★★ | to  Kansas |
| Shamar Riser-Pressley DE | ★★★ | to  UConn |
| Devin Morgan DL | ★★★ | to  Kennesaw State |
| Lamar Sperling RB | ★★★ | to  UTEP |
| Eddie Pleasant III CB | ★★★ | to  Marshall |
| Mitch Viviano DL | ★★★ | no new school on file |
And 4 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2026 Mid-American Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 Ohio | 3–0 | 5–2 | |
| Western Michigan | 3–0 | 5–2 | |
 Eastern Michigan | 3–1 | 4–4 | |
| Toledo | 2–1 | 5–2 | |
| Buffalo | 2–1 | 4–3 | |
| Miami (OH) | 2–1 | 4–3 | |
| Bowling Green | 2–1 | 2–5 | |
| Central Michigan | 1–2 | 3–4 | |
| Ball State | 1–2 | 2–5 | |
 Kent State | 1–2 | 2–5 | |
| Massachusetts | 1–3 | 4–3 | |
 Sacramento State | 0–4 | 1–6 | |
| Akron | 0–3 | 1–6 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.