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Buffalo Football Picks
Spring practices are in the books and
fall camps will be here before you know it so that means
getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season.
Knowing the teams now will save you time in August and Matt
Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this
upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006
College Football Preview.
#117 – Buffalo Bulls 1-10 SU; 5-5-1 ATS
Fargo’s Take The Turner Gill era begins in Buffalo this
season and it looks like it’s going to be a very rough
beginning. The Bulls had only one victory in 2005 and there
simply is not enough talent to turn this team around in a
short time frame. Buffalo had one of the most anemic
offenses in the nation last year, averaging only 10 ppg and
279.5 ypg, 118th and 114th in the country respectively. The
start to the season was one of the worst ever as the Bulls
managed three points in its first three games combined
before “exploding” for 21 points against Western Michigan.
The cupboard isn’t bare but it certainly isn’t stocked and
if the Bulls want to improve on that one victory, more
points on the scoreboard is priority one. Gill, unlike
former coach Jim Hofher, is offensive minded and should be
able to make improvements right away. Defensively, the Bulls
were respectable, finishing 60th in total defense but good
efforts went unnoticed due to the offensive inefficiencies.
Expect more of the same in 2006 and not many money line
football picks
from us on Buffalo..
Returning Starters on Offense – 8 The offense returns
a majority of the starters from 2005 but that isn’t
something the Bulls faithful should be getting excited
about. Buffalo is sure to be better on that side of the ball
with Gill in the mix but he will certainly have his work cut
out for him. The offense got into the redzone only 26 times
last season and making matters even worse, it managed to
score points in only 14 of those drives. Sophomore Drew
Willy took over at quarterback last season after the first
three games when the team averaged only one ppg so there is
experience behind center. The running game will be decent
but the offensive line is the concern as three long time
starters are gone.
Returning Starters on Defense – 5 The unit performed well at
times but it was a sitting duck a lot of the time. The
horrendous offense and poor special teams put the defense is
a hole most of the time, allowing a lot of points and a
horrendous 90.9% redzone success rate. The Bulls will have a
new look this season, going for the traditional 4-3
alignment which will certainly put the pressure on the
defensive line that does not return one starter from last
season. The linebackers and safeties will be the core of the
group. An extremely misleading stat from last season is that
Buffalo finished the season 10th in the country in passing
defense but that was because it was always behind and teams
simply didn’t have the need to throw.
Schedule A MAC schedule can be good or bad depending on the
draw and Buffalo’s is not good. The Bulls face three of the
four powerhouse teams, missing only Toledo, with two of
those games coming on the road. Unlike most early season
schedules, Buffalo starts out with three straight conference
games so a lot will be known right away on how much
offseason progress the Bulls have made. Non-conference games
at Auburn, at Boston College and at Wisconsin promises a 0-3
record but they are spread out enough that they aren’t going
to do much damage to the confidence as each is followed by a
conference home game which are all winnable to a point.
You can bet on… Similar to its opening opponent Temple, game
one of the Gill era is a huge one for Buffalo. A win at home
would put the team in first place in the MAC for a couple
weeks at least and would provide some great momentum heading
out on the road. A loss could be detrimental since Temple
doesn’t beat anyone and if the Bulls are a victim, it could
be lights out early. Buffalo covered half of its games last
season and went 3-2 against the number when getting more
than three touchdowns including a 2-0 mark at home. We will
certainly see some big numbers again this season and with an
offense that has the ability to be better, the Bulls could
get over the hump and become a profitable team.
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