2026 Buffalo Bulls football team

The 2026 Buffalo Bulls football team will represent the University at Buffalo as they are a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2026 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by their third-year head coach Pete Lembo, the Bulls will play home games at Broadview Stadium in Amherst, New York.

ConferenceMid-American Conference

Record1–1 (0–0 MAC)

Headcoach

Pete Lembo (3rd season)

OffensivecoordinatorTony Tokarz (1st season)

Quick facts Buffalo Bulls football, Conference ...

2026 Buffalo Bulls football

Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	1–1 (0–0 MAC)
Head coach	Pete Lembo (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Tony Tokarz (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Brian Dougherty (1st season)
Home stadium	Broadview Stadium
Seasons ← 2025 2027 →

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More information Conf., Overall ...

2026 Mid-American Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Eastern Michigan	1	–	0	1	–	2
UMass	0	–	0	2	–	0
Akron	0	–	0	1	–	1
Ball State	0	–	0	1	–	1
Buffalo	0	–	0	1	–	1
Central Michigan	0	–	0	1	–	1
Kent State	0	–	0	1	–	1
Miami (OH)	0	–	0	1	–	1
Ohio	0	–	0	1	–	1
Toledo	0	–	0	1	–	1
Western Michigan	0	–	0	1	–	1
Bowling Green	0	–	0	0	–	2
Sacramento State	0	–	1	1	–	2
Championship: December 5, 2026
As of September 16, 2026 Rankings from AP poll

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Schedule

More information Date, Time ...

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	7:00 p.m.	Albany*	Broadview Stadium Amherst, NY	ESPN+	W 21–17	8,690
September 12	6:00 p.m.	at FIU*	Pitbull Stadium Miami, FL	ESPN+	L 20–33	18,202
September 19	12:00 p.m.	at No. 14 Penn State*	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	BTN
September 26	3:30 p.m.	Robert Morris*	Broadview Stadium Amherst, NY	ESPN+
October 3		Western Michigan	Broadview Stadium Amherst, NY
October 10		at Toledo	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH
October 17		UMass	Broadview Stadium Amherst, NY (rivalry)
October 24		Bowling Green	Broadview Stadium Amherst, NY
November 3		at Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium Oxford, OH
November 11		at Ball State	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN
November 18		Central Michigan	Broadview Stadium Amherst, NY
November 27	12:00 p.m.	at Akron	InfoCision Stadium Akron, OH
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

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^[1]^[2]^[3]

Preseason

Preseason polls

Coaches Poll

On July 22, the MAC announced the preseason coaches poll. Western Michigan was named the preseason favorite to win the conference while last year's other finalist, Miami, also received votes to win the championship.^[4]

More information Predicted finish, Team ...

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
MAC Coaches poll
1	Western Michigan	138 (9)
2	Miami	134 (4)
3	Toledo	115
4	Ohio	107
5	Central Michigan	101
6	Buffalo	81
7	Eastern Michigan	76
8	Kent State	64
9	Bowling Green	59
10	Akron	52
11	Ball State	34
12	Sacramento State	28
13	Massachusetts	25

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More information Predicted finish, Team ...

Predicted finish	Team	Votes
Coaches poll (MAC Championship)
1	Western Michigan	9
2	Miami	4

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Game summaries

Albany (FCS)

Albany Great Danes (FCS) (1–0) at Buffalo Bulls (0–0) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Great Danes (FCS)	7	3	7	0	17
Bulls	0	14	0	7	21

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at Broadview Stadium • Amherst, NY

Date: September 3
Game time: 7:00 p.m.^[a]
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 77 °F (25 °C)
Game attendance: 8,690
Referee: Billy Williams
TV announcers (ESPN+): Michael Reghi and Je'Rod Cherry

More information Game information ...

Game information
First quarter ALB – Tavahri Groves 14-yard pass from Kai Colon (RJ Kocan kick), 3:02. Great Danes 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 86 yards, 2:13. Second quarter BUFF – Chance Morrow 9-yard pass from Elijah Holmes (Oliver Hautanen kick), 11:23. Tied 7–7. Drive: 15 plays, 75 yards, 6:39. BUFF – Chance Morrow 4-yard pass from Elijah Holmes (Oliver Hautanen kick), 2:46. Bulls 14–7. Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 2:27. ALB – RJ Kocan 46-yard field goal, 0:15. Bulls 14–10. Drive: 6 plays, 21 yards, 0:31. Third quarter ALB – Justus Murray Jr. 14-yard pass from Kai Colon (RJ Kocan kick), 3:23. Great Danes 17–14. Drive: 5 plays, 27 yards, 1:10. Fourth quarter BUFF – Chance Morrow 5-yard pass from Elijah Holmes (Oliver Hautanen kick), 4:53. Bulls 21–17. Drive: 8 plays, 61 yards, 1:50.

Game information

First quarter

ALB – Tavahri Groves 14-yard pass from Kai Colon (RJ Kocan kick), 3:02. Great Danes 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 86 yards, 2:13.

Second quarter

BUFF – Chance Morrow 9-yard pass from Elijah Holmes (Oliver Hautanen kick), 11:23. Tied 7–7. Drive: 15 plays, 75 yards, 6:39.
BUFF – Chance Morrow 4-yard pass from Elijah Holmes (Oliver Hautanen kick), 2:46. Bulls 14–7. Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 2:27.
ALB – RJ Kocan 46-yard field goal, 0:15. Bulls 14–10. Drive: 6 plays, 21 yards, 0:31.

Third quarter

ALB – Justus Murray Jr. 14-yard pass from Kai Colon (RJ Kocan kick), 3:23. Great Danes 17–14. Drive: 5 plays, 27 yards, 1:10.

Fourth quarter

BUFF – Chance Morrow 5-yard pass from Elijah Holmes (Oliver Hautanen kick), 4:53. Bulls 21–17. Drive: 8 plays, 61 yards, 1:50.

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In their first game of the season, the Bulls won, 21–17 over the Albany Great Danes.^[6]^[7]

More information Statistics, ALB ...

Statistics	ALB	BUFF
First downs	19	18
Plays–yards	72–276	80–340
Rushes–yards	31–72	33–151
Passing yards	204	189
Passing: comp–att–int	19–41–1	26–47–0
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	28:07	31:53

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Albany	Passing	Kai Colon	16/36, 191 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Joey Koch	8 carries, 40 yards
	Receiving	BJ Norman	6 receptions, 67 yards
Buffalo	Passing	Elijah Holmes	26/47, 189 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Messiah Burch	8 carries, 74 yards
	Receiving	Chance Morrow	7 receptions, 48 yards, 3 TD

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at FIU

Buffalo Bulls (1–0) at FIU Panthers (0–1) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	0	0	0	0	0
Panthers	0	0	0	0	0

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at Pitbull Stadium • Miami, FL

Date: September 12
Game time: 6:00 p.m.
TV announcers (ESPN+): Corey Brooks, Jermon Bushrod, Billy Gil, and Sydney Jones

More information Game information ...

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

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More information Statistics, BUFF ...

Statistics	BUFF	FIU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Buffalo	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
FIU	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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at No. 14 Penn State

Buffalo Bulls (1–1) at No. 14 Penn State Nittany Lions (2–0) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	0	0	0	0	0
No. 14 Nittany Lions	0	0	0	0	0

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at Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA

Date: September 19
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
TV announcers (BTN): Chris Vosters, Matt Millen, and Caroline Hendershot

More information Game information ...

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

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More information Statistics, BUFF ...

Statistics	BUFF	PSU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Buffalo	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
PSU	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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Robert Morris (FCS)

Robert Morris Colonials (FCS) (0–0) at Buffalo Bulls (0–0) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Colonials (FCS)	0	0	0	0	0
Bulls	0	0	0	0	0

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at Broadview Stadium • Amherst, NY

Date: September 26
Game time: 3:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN+

More information Game information ...

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

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More information Statistics, RMU ...

Statistics	RMU	BUFF
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Robert Morris	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Buffalo	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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Western Michigan

Western Michigan Broncos (0–0) at Buffalo Bulls (0–0) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	0	0	0	0
Bulls	0	0	0	0	0

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at Broadview Stadium • Amherst, NY

Date: October 3

More information Game information ...

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

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More information Statistics, WMU ...

Statistics	WMU	BUFF
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Buffalo	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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at Toledo

Buffalo Bulls (0–0) at Toledo Rockets (0–0) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	0	0	0	0	0
Rockets	0	0	0	0	0

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at Glass Bowl • Toldeo, OH

Date: October 10

More information Game information ...

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

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More information Statistics, BUFF ...

Statistics	BUFF	TOL
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Buffalo	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Toledo	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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UMass

UMass Minutemen (0–0) at Buffalo Bulls (0–0) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Minutemen	0	0	0	0	0
Bulls	0	0	0	0	0

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at Broadview Stadium • Amherst, NY

Date: October 17

More information Game information ...

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

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More information Statistics, MASS ...

Statistics	MASS	BUFF
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UMass	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Buffalo	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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Bowling Green

Bowling Green Falcons (0–0) at Buffalo Bulls (0–0) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	0	0	0	0
Bulls	0	0	0	0	0

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at Broadview Stadium • Amherst, NY

Date: October 24

More information Game information ...

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

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More information Statistics, BGSU ...

Statistics	BGSU	BUFF
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Bowling Green	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Buffalo	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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at Miami (OH)

Buffalo Bulls (0–0) at Miami RedHawks (0–0) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	0	0	0	0	0
RedHawks	0	0	0	0	0

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at Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH

Date: November 3

More information Game information ...

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

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More information Statistics, BUFF ...

Statistics	BUFF	M-OH
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Buffalo	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Miami (OH)	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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at Ball State

Buffalo Bulls (0–0) at Ball State Cardinals (0–0) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	0	0	0	0	0
Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0

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at Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN

Date: November 11

More information Game information ...

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

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More information Statistics, BUFF ...

Statistics	BUFF	BALL
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Buffalo	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Ball State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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Central Michigan

Central Michigan Chippewas (0–0) at Buffalo Bulls (0–0) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chippewas	0	0	0	0	0
Bulls	0	0	0	0	0

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at Broadview Stadium • Amherst, NY

Date: November 18

More information Game information ...

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

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More information Statistics, CMU ...

Statistics	CMU	BUFF
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Buffalo	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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at Akron

Buffalo Bulls (0–0) at Akron Zips (0–0) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	0	0	0	0	0
Zips	0	0	0	0	0

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at InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH

Date: November 27
Game time: 12:00 p.m.

More information Game information ...

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

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More information Statistics, BUFF ...

Statistics	BUFF	AKR
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Buffalo	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Akron	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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Notes

[a]
After a lengthy weather delay, the game kicked off at 9:43 p.m.^[5]

2026 Buffalo Bulls football team

Schedule

Preseason

Preseason polls

Coaches Poll

Game summaries

Albany (FCS)

at FIU

at No. 14 Penn State

Robert Morris (FCS)

Western Michigan

at Toledo

UMass

Bowling Green

at Miami (OH)

at Ball State

Central Michigan

at Akron

Notes

References

Related Articles

Timelines

Top Qs

Fact Checks