Does anyone actually go to Buffalo games? They have now lost to Patriot League (non-scholarship) opponents (Lehigh and Colgate) in consecutive seasons. Again, what exactly was the MAC thinking when they chose the unlucky 13th member?

Buffalo envisioned this as the start to their ride into national prominence. Not so much with fb championships, but as a bonafide school with recognized athletics and aspirations for being reknowned enough they might someday be worthy of Big 10 status. (Not that they would get it, but that they'd be worthy.) They sold themselves on the premise of
- Big sports city
- NY has a dirth of big time college football
- SUNY-Buffalo is an AAU school with high aspirations for it's research potential. (Methinks too high, personally)
- Shear growth in sports and fans suggests they can make it.

The MAC then took Buffalo on the premise of
- New market
- Decent school
- Can't be worse than some current MAC members
- "If we don't take them, someone else will and some schools might actually start a series of realignment dominos... Oh, wait."

What was missing in the equation was the energy to actually build a winning program. UCF and Marshall established themselves first, then sought affiliation. Buffalo and the MAC handled this measure in reverse order.

Here is the UB stadium. It looks like a nice facility, expandable if the football program were ever able to take off.

http://www.ubathletics.buffalo.edu/venues/stadium.shtml

UB's attendance spiked, IIRC, in its first season of I-A play, but last year it was under the magic 15K baseline. You aren't going to get many fans in the stands if you can't hold your own against Kent State and Akron. And it will take more than that for UB to get attention in the Bills' town.

You're right that the MAC and UB got things backwards.

This program really don't belong in 1-A or maybe they do who knows anymore?

_________________
The Bear may be dead but he still hates Tennessee. Roll Damn Tide

Hmm, I see that Buffalo's stadium is very similar to Troy State's old stadium in that it has the track around the field. Very bad idea for a school with a small stadium to have that type of setup. You put the fans too far away from the action. Has UB been marketing themselves very well? Sometimes I have to wonder. They did play Syracuse some, but they don't need to rely on the Orangemen's draw for fans.

Also, the MAC took Buffalo because it is in New York State. The MAC is dominated by Ohio and Michigan schools and getting a few elsewhere seemed preferable at the time.

Can anyone explain WHY?

_________________
The Bear may be dead but he still hates Tennessee. Roll Damn Tide

Both of the major I-AA schools in Philly have the same issue, and you're right. Even with good seats, the fans feel far from the football field. But track & field is too important a part of Villanova's athletics history to be moved, and the Penn Relays are the best-attended event every year at Franklin Field. Draws more fans than even Penn-Princeton.

Still is doesn't make any sense at all to have them in 1-A

_________________
The Bear may be dead but he still hates Tennessee. Roll Damn Tide