So I promised a series of fanposts for the football season and after the busiest summer of my life we might as well get the ball rolling.
Historically speaking, a school like UB's best chance for success will come when the right group of players peak in their Senior year around the same time, every four years or so, and then we bury our heads in the sand waiting for the stars and planets to align again. This season isn't quite that scenario, but behind the stud senior QB/RB combo of Joe Licata and Anthone Taylor, a stong O-line, by default the Bulls should be able to find much of the success they need.
Some of the detractors do not agree. The MAC coaches poll lands Buffalo as 5th in the MAC East, likely because they've graduated many great seniors the last 2 seasons and have questions, particularly on the defensive side of the ball replacing them.
Looking at the schedule and comparing to previous seasons can be misleading. The pro's at Bull Run have the opener with Albany as a blowout. At first I was reluctant but I have to remember, this is not the Quinn era where we are going to make FCS teams look great on our field. Penn State will be a loss, but only a matter of how bad. Florida Atlantic and Nevada will be a great barometer for where this program is this year. The make or break part of the schedule for me is the very beginning of MAC play against Bowling Green and Central Michigan. Bowling Green has been the arch nemesis of Joe Licata and a thorn in the side of UB for a few seasons. Central Michigan frustrated UB last season in the seemingly winnable game that wasn't. While the rest of the schedule seems manageable, the NIU game looms large as they are of the class programs of the MAC. Not winning against both Bowling Green and Central Michigan games could force the NIU game into a must win, and that's not a good scenario.
Overall It's hard for me to quantify my expectations for this season. Looking back, I just don't think Quinn put his players in a very good position to win(the 3-3-5 defense, ughh), as evidenced by the improvement shown in the final weeks under coach Alex Wood. I really think this program is further along than what was shown in recent seasons, despite graduating many good players, I really feel coach Lance Leipold is a cerebral coach with a great vision for putting his players in a position to succeed. With hope the translates to all three phases of the game, this should be a great season where a shot at a MAC title is more than just a fantasy.
