For the past two seasons, the Mid-American Conference has been on the rise, receiving recognition for upsetting juggernaut football programs and getting ranked in the Top 25.
Led by Heisman hopeful Byron Leftwitch, the Marshall Thundering Herd stunned the NCAA in 2002 by finishing in the Top 25. In 2003, Northern Illinois shocked the nationally ranked Maryland Terrapins 27-10 on the heels of Michael "The Burner" Turner.
Northern Illinois hung around the top of the Associated Press national rankings, while Miami of Ohio won the GMAC Bowl. Miami quarterback Ben Roethlisberger finished among the top three quarterbacks in the country and went on to be drafted eleventh overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But while the MAC has improved in prestige over the past few seasons, the Bulls have floundered. This season, many national pre-season rankings, including Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, and College Football News put them last in Division I.
This season, the Bulls hope to prove the pundits wrong. The amount of experience Buffalo garners could bode well for the Bulls with thirteen seniors returning, including quarterback Randall Secky. Secky, along with junior tailback Dave Dawson, could fuel a more aggressive and experienced offense.
On defense, J.J. Gibson leads a core of players who are looking to drop the points given up per game from last season's 37.1 to less than 20.
Head football coach Jim Hofher has set his sights much higher than last season's disappointing 1-11 finish.
"What I know is the amount of experience that we have is very positive, better than it's ever been," said Hofher. "We're better coming out of this spring than any other simply because of evolution. It's been the best (spring), because we have more knowledge on more guys than ever. More game knowledge, more practice knowledge ... it's been an excellent spring practice period."
The Bulls season kicks off tomorrow evening as the Bulls travel to Eastern Michigan University to face another struggling program, the Eagles. On September 11, the Bulls will open their home schedule against Syracuse, followed by trips to Nevada and Ohio, the later being the site of the team's only win last year.
