UMass hasn't won a football game since 2024. Buffalo isn't rolling either, but this MAC road trip in mid-October is about as fair a shot as the Minutemen will get to snap the skid.
Bush’s Picks
MASSBUF
MASSBUF
OverUnder
Best BetBuffalo
Buffalo brings back a chunk of a preseason All-MAC-caliber roster and a coach in his 3rd year running the program, which is a real edge over a UMass team replacing its quarterback, its offensive coordinator, and half its pass rush all at once. The Minutemen haven't won a game since 2024, and there's nothing in their offseason profile yet to suggest that changes on the road. Back the Bulls here.
Massachusetts
+New QB Pop Watson has shown real flashes at Virginia Tech
+New OC Max Warner hired to fix last-place offense
+Clean QB competition, no incumbent to beat out
−0-12 in 2025, riding a 16-game losing streak
−Only 13 sacks last year, lost top pass rusher to SMU
−Entirely new pieces at QB, OC, and D-line all at once
Buffalo
+6 Bulls named preseason All-MAC
+Pete Lembo enters 3rd year, program stability
+Finished .500 in MAC play (4-4) last season
−Overall record was a middling 5-7
−Finished only 7th in the MAC a year ago
This one's a long way off — an October 16 kickoff still 3 months out — but the stakes are already baked in. The Minutemen enter 2026 on a 16-game losing streak after going 0-12 last season, and new coordinator Max Warner was brought in specifically to fix an offense that finished 136th nationally in scoring. Buffalo, meanwhile, is trying to climb back into MAC contention after a 5-7, 4-4 finish left it 7th in the conference a year ago.
The headline offseason move for UMass is under center. Springfield native William "Pop" Watson III transferred in from Virginia Tech, where he flashed real ability in limited snaps — including a 251-yard, multi-touchdown outing in the 2024 Commonwealth Cup — but never locked down a starting job. All three Minutemen quarterbacks from 2025 hit the portal, so Watson arrives as the presumptive QB1 with a clean shot at the job rather than a battle against an established starter.
Show fees
11:00 PM CT
Spread
ML
Total
MASS Massachusetts
BUF Buffalo
Buffalo has stability UMass can only dream of right now. Pete Lembo is entering his 3rd season at the helm, and 6 Bulls were tabbed to Phil Steele's preseason All-MAC team, a sign the roster has real returning talent even after a middling finish last fall. That continuity matters against a UMass team that's rebuilding its coaching staff, quarterback room, and pass rush more or less simultaneously.
Massachusetts Minutemen
Oct 9?vs Miami (OH)—
Oct 2?vs Eastern Michigan—
Sep 25?@ Sacramento State—
Sep 19?vs Stonehill—
Sep 12?vs Sacred Heart—
Sep 3?@ Rutgers—
Buffalo Bulls
Oct 9?@ Toledo—
Oct 2?vs Western Michigan—
Sep 26?vs Robert Morris—
Sep 19?@ Penn State—
Sep 12?@ Florida International—
Sep 3?vs UAlbany—
Recent form.
The defensive picture for UMass is a mixed bag. Linebacker Tyler Martin is back after leading the team with 103 tackles, and Joshua Iseah arrives via the portal from North Carolina A&T after racking up 83 stops of his own. But the pass rush took a real hit — the Minutemen managed only 13 sacks all of last season, and 5 of those left with Marques White, who's now at SMU. Transfers Andrew Depaepe (Indiana) and Justin Krueger (William and Mary) are being counted on to replace that production, which is a lot to ask of two new faces.
Buffalo's returning talent plus a coach who knows the program gives it a clear head start heading into this one, even with the 2025 record sitting at just 5-7. For UMass, everything hinges on whether Watson and Warner's retooled offense can find life fast enough to make this a competitive MAC road trip rather than a 17th straight loss piling on.
