Blackout The Ralph?

Buffalo Athletic Director Danny White just had a great idea. Play our last game of the season at Ralph Wilson Stadium. This will be the most Bulls at the Ralph since Mike Newton, Jamey Richard and Naaman Roosevelt squared off in a pre season game between the Buffalo Bills and the Indianapolis Colts.

UB’s final home football game of the 2013 season has be moved to Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Bulls will host Bowling Green in what will be billed the "Black Friday Clash at the Ralph" on November 29. It will be the first college football game played at Ralph Wilson Stadium since 1979 when Syracuse played Miami, the one from Florida.

"The ability to play a MAC regular season game at Ralph Wilson Stadium provides an outstanding opportunity for us to showcase our football program to a more regional audience. The Friday after Thanksgiving is one of the best college football days of the year and this venue change will provide a new and unique collegiate experience for our program, student-athletes and our fans." -- UB Athletic Director Danny White

Last year the Falcons hosted UB for a "home" game at Crew Stadium in Columbus Ohio. That game was in Columbus for the same reason this game will be in Orchard Park.

No kids are on campus, typically games played on the day after thansgiving are dead as students have went home and the weather is usually brutal.

"UB Athletics is excited to announce that we have restructured our football ticket pricing to make the experience more affordable for the fans of Western New York. In a year when we plan to reach unparalleled attendance figures for UB Football, access to the program for all fans will once again prove that UB Football is one of the area’s best sports entertainment options." -- Senior Associate AD for External Affairs John Lambert

Tickets for the Black Friday Clash at the Ralph are currently only available through the purchase of a UB Football season ticket package. Season tickets are $90 and include the five home games at UB Stadium plus the season finale in Orchard Park. Individual tickets for the game will go on sale later this summer.

This is very nice move by UB. On the face of it the game might seem like a wasted gimmick but in reality what does UB have to lose? Because of the break this will have zero impact on student attendance and it's only 20 minutes or so from UB's north campus stadium so commuters should not be affected.

The only "loss" is whatever, if anything, UB is shelling out to the Bills for use of the stadium.

The upside could be a slight bump in exposure and hopefully the beginings of UB starting to insert itself into the Greater Buffalo football culture, even if it's just as the Bills little brother.