A bowl game was in sight and conference title aspirations were still within reach for Buffalo last year at the start of November. The Bulls were sitting at 5-4 overall and 4-1 in MAC play but lost their final three games of the season. The defense really struggled during that stretch, allowing 35.3 points per game.
Historically, November hasn’t been kind to Buffalo.
Compared to head coach Pete Lembo’s inaugural 2024 campaign where the Bulls finished 9-4, last season was a step back. Now, he’ll enter 2026 with a ton of turnover, including over 50 new players and six new assistant coaches.
Buffalo Season Preview
Not only has Buffalo brought in a new-look squad from the transfer portal, but the Bulls will also have a new offensive and defensive coordinator. New OC Tony Tokarz spent the past six seasons at Florida State and the previous four as the quarterbacks coach. New DC Brian Dougherty spent the past two years as Buffalo’s safeties coach.
Lembo also has a new special teams coordinator in Garrett McLaughlin, who was in the same role at Columbia the previous two seasons.
It’s hard to know what to expect from Buffalo as the season nears, but I do expect Lembo will keep his group competitive in most games.
Who Will Be Buffalo’s QB?
There’s no question this will be a fresh start for Buffalo’s offense. The Bulls return very little production, only a couple guys with starting experience, and will likely see a ton of transfers earn starting spots.
One of those transfers could be senior quarterback Elijah Holmes. I think the Division II product is the favorite to be the starting signal caller after coming in from Wingate. There, Holmes passed for 3,040 yards and 24 touchdowns against six interceptions last season.
Holmes will have some returning weapons who I expect to be the top playmakers. Running back Terrance Shelton Jr. will be back after finishing second on the roster last year with 244 yards on 57 totes while making three starts.
Wide receiver Jasaiah Gathings will also return after earning 10 starts and logging 410 yards and three scores last season. I expect the senior will be the Bulls’ top pass catcher. Chance Morrow looks like he might be another starting wideout. He only caught eight passes last year but averaged 16.1 yards per reception and hauled in two scores.
Up front, the Bulls will be in rebuild mode. Sophomore Tyrone Davis could earn a starting nod after seeing action in five games last year while Gabriel Arena played in six contests. There are also Power Four transfers in Nino Fanacavilla and Joe Crocker who I think could lock up starting jobs.
Buffalo Defense Led By Secondary
Something the Buffalo defense will need to do this year is replace the production lost from All-American linebacker Red Murdock. He totaled 364 tackles for his career and broke the FBS record for forced fumbles (17) before getting drafted by the Denver Broncos.
The good news for the Bulls is that they’re returning a lot in the secondary. Senior Keontez Bradley and junior Kobi Blackwell combined to start 13 games at cornerback last season and will likely be the starters on the perimeter.
And despite not starting any games last year, senior safety Miles Greer was the team’s third leading tackler, finishing with 74 total tackles, three tackles for loss and three pass breakups. He should be in for a big season. SaVeon Brown will also return at the nickelback spot after registering 52 tackles and 6.5 TFLs in eight starts last season.
All signs point to transfers leading the linebackers with Zach Bergmann coming in from Division II Missouri Southern and Logan Goodwin from D-III Indiana University of Pennsylvania. These will be the linebackers with the most experience while others will help fill the void left by Murdock. Wofford transfer Caleb Oliver and Virginia transfer Stevie Bracey are also two names to watch.
Fifth-year nose tackle Cornell Evans is the lone returning starter on the defensive front and has started 16 games over the previous two years. There will likely be someone else who establishes a big presence on the D-line and that might be D-II transfer Sedrick Vessah, who logged 52 tackles, 13.5, TFLs, 8.5 sacks and four blocked kicks last season.
2026 Buffalo Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 9/3 | vs. UAlbany |
| 9/12 | at FIU |
| 9/19 | at Penn State |
| 9/26 | vs. Robert Morris |
| 10/3 | vs. Western Michigan |
| 10/10 | at Toledo |
| 10/17 | vs. UMass |
| 10/24 | vs. Bowling Green |
| 11/3 | at Miami (OH) |
| 11/11 | at Ball State |
| 11/18 | vs. Central Michigan |
| 11/27 | at Akron |
Buffalo’s MAC Championship Betting Odds
College football betting odds have Buffalo at +1800 to win the MAC. Western Michigan is the favorite at +320.
Buffalo’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
- Buffalo’s win total Over/Under is at 5.5
- The Over is at -155
- The Under is at +120
Buffalo Season Prediction
I predict Buffalo wins five games for the second consecutive season and fails to compete for a MAC championship.
There’s a lot to like about this team and a lot to like about Lembo. However, with the number of new players and new coaches, it’s hard to expect the Bulls to immediately be a conference contender, especially when drawing arguably the top four teams in the MAC.
This year’s group provides a lot to build on, including a ton of underclassmen who should play meaningful roles. But I don’t think this is the year the Bulls make a run to a league title.
