College football fans remember the days when Buffalo was the laughingstock of the country. The Bulls were one of the worst teams in the nation in their early D-I years; that's no embellishment.
Those same fans probably laugh when they see Buffalo's record now. They must think that Buffalo has receded back to its bottom-feeding days when schools practically considered it a bye week when they faced the Bulls.
This may be the best 1-4 football team in school history. There's an enormous amount of talent on the 2011 Buffalo Bulls' roster. Khalil Mack is an absolute tank and Branden Oliver is no slouch either.
That just might be my problem: every time I think of the team, I think of Mack and Oliver. They're studs, but they aren't the whole team.
I experienced an unwilling epiphany as I watched the Bulls get utterly devoured by the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday.
Maybe, just maybe, this team isn't as good as I've tried to convince myself it is.
I've been trying to convince myself all year that the Bulls are better than their record indicates. Yeah, they've played some big-time opponents so far this year.
However, Pittsburgh is only 3-2 and this year's Pitt team is nothing like teams of the past. The Bulls lost 35-16 to Pittsburgh and Buffalo fans were pleased with the outcome. Pittsburgh beat Maine just 35-29 the very next week. That's right – Maine. Some of you are probably sitting there thinking: "Maine has a football team?"
Pittsburgh quarterback Tino Sunseri epitomizes the word "average." Sure, running back Ray Graham is great, but that's about all Pittsburgh has going in its favor.
Week two: the Bulls demolished Stony Brook. Guess what – Stony Brook is nothing short of horrendous. The Seawolves are 1-3 and they lost to Brown immediately after playing Buffalo.
I tried to get pumped up from UB's win. I swear to you, I tried. I thought: "The Bulls are back on the winning track. Now we're going to march into Ball State, get to 2-1, and show the Mid-American Conference that we're a force to be reckoned with."
Psych. The Bulls fooled me yet again. They looked like they were going to pull out a victory until Ball State scored on a last minute touchdown. But, I mean, they only lost on a last minute score. That must mean they're still really good, right?
Homecoming weekend came the next week, and so did UConn. The Huskies were our rival, we were at home, we were bringing out fans in abundance, and it all made sense. We definitely had this one in the bag.
Buffalo lost 17-3 and the Bulls looked horrible doing so. But that was because UConn was a Big East team and the Bulls were a lowly MAC team, right?
I was wrong again. MAC squad Western Michigan defeated Connecticut this past weekend.
Tennessee is an SEC power and the Volunteers have the next Peyton Manning under center, but Montana gave Tennessee a much bigger scare than the Bulls did. To put things in perspective, even Sacramento State was two touchdowns better than Montana.
So where does that leave me? Doubtful. Doubtful that the Bulls will pull it together, doubtful that Buffalo will bounce back against Ohio this weekend, and doubtful that my optimism was bona fide.
The Buffalo football program has made great strides since the Jim Hofher days. This year's team would destroy those past Bulls teams, in my opinion, but the squad just isn't good enough to contend for the MAC title again.
Go 2011 Bulls! I'm still rooting for you. I just don't believe in you.
Email: aaron.mansfield@ubspectrum.com
