Buffalo Bulls Tied for First in Lambert Poll Week 3

Let's make this clear: this is a fun year to be a UB Bulls fan. I'm sure if you're reading this site with any regularity, you're already on board, but if you're skeptical, know that people are starting to notice. Buffalo has moved up four spots in this weeks FBS poll for the Lambert Meadowlands Football after beating Kent State, the alma mater of... Jack Lambert. Coincidence? I think not.

As Conrad on Last Bull In continues to compare this year's team to the 2008 MAC champions, Buffalo's inclusion in the Lambert poll draws a connection to the other golden period in Buffalo football history - the 1958 and 1959 teams featuring Willie Evans and the declined Tangerine Bowl invite. 1958 won the second ever Lambert Cup, at the time awarded to non-Division I-A teams, and the 1959 team finished in the final voting, as well.

Exactly who is eligible for the poll is tough to summarize quickly, because teams from states bordering the Northeast can also be eligible if they play half their schedule against eligible teams. The two most recent winners have been Cincinnati and West Virginia, who played enough eligible teams by virtue of their being in the then-Big East.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>UB tied with Penn St. atop this week&#39;s Lambert Poll ranking top teams in East</p>&mdash; Bob DiCesare (@tbndicesare) <a href="https://twitter.com/tbndicesare/statuses/394952110795935744">October 28, 2013</a></blockquote>

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The poll itself is administered by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, the operators of the Meadowlands Sports Complex, but the ECAC puts out the press release:

Buffalo moves up four spots this week to tie Penn State after the Bulls knocked off Kent State 41-21 on Saturday and the Nittany Lions dropped its game against National No. 4 Ohio State University. Rutgers University (4-3) is the third ranked team in the Football Bowl Sudivision Lambert Poll after dropping a 49-14 decision to the University of Houston. University of Pittsburgh (4-3) comes in at No. 4 after a 24-21 loss at the hands of the United States Naval Academy, and Boston College (3-4) rounds out this week’s top five

Buffalo benefited from every team in front of them losing, and a strong win against a Kent team that, while 2-6, was widely acknowledged as a step up in difficulty from the Bulls' first five wins. Regardless, people are starting to notice the Bulls, and it's more than just "hey, they have more wins than usual." If you're one of those still on the fence: take note: people whose job it is to know football voted for Buffalo over Penn State, Rutgers, and Pittsburgh.

Not everyone is happy, though:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>TIED?! <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23wewasrobbed&amp;src=hash">#wewasrobbed</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NYBI&amp;src=hash">#NYBI</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23UBBulls&amp;src=hash">#UBBulls</a> RT <a href="https://twitter.com/tbndicesare">@tbndicesare</a>: UB tied with Penn St. atop this week&#39;s Lambert Poll ranking top teams in East</p>&mdash; Fake Danny White (@FakeDannyWhite) <a href="https://twitter.com/FakeDannyWhite/statuses/394954206853222401">October 28, 2013</a></blockquote>

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Hat tip to BrooklynBull on UBfan, who first pointed out the first edition of the poll, and speculated that UB would receive at least one first-place vote this week.

The Poll is largely pageantry, but this gives us one more reason to get amped up for the Bobcats on Tuesday, November 5th. Go Bulls!