Buffalo vs. Massachusetts (UMass) Picks and Prediction for Saturday, October 18, 2025
Use Code SSWC We have an intriguing MAC game in Week 8 of the college football season as the Buffalo Bulls will be travelling to the Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Amherst, Massachusetts, on Saturday afternoon to face off against the UMass Minutemen in our Bulls vs Minutemen prediction. The Bulls (3-3, 2-0 MAC) are coming off a 31-30 overtime home win against the Eastern Michigan Eagles on Oct. 4. The Minutemen (0-6, 0-2) are coming off Saturday’s 42-6 road loss against the Kent State Golden Flashes. Rivalries, tempo, trenches — NCAAF picks for Buffalo Bulls vs. Massachusetts Minutemen.
Bulls Looking to Attack
The Buffalo Bulls are coming off a nail-biting 31-30 overtime home win over the Eastern Michigan Eagles last time out on October 4. Buffalo was able to move the ball with regularity as the team scored 31 points on 387 total yards of offense (272 passing, 115 rushing). Quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson held his own as he completed just 19-of-38 passes for 272 yards with three touchdowns as well as four rushes for one yard (0.3 yards per carry). The offense was able to convert to keep drives alive as they were able to move the chains on 7-of-15 third-down attempts, but failed their singular fourth-down try. They also committed the game’s only turnover (lost fumble).
The defense struggled throughout the game as they allowed Eastern Michigan to score 30 points on 395 total yards (168 passing, 227 rushing) as they recorded 25 total first downs. The Bulls' defense was consistently on the field as the Eagles had possession for 37:05 of the game. Buffalo needs to do better at limiting yardage, as Eastern Michigan was able to average 4.2 yards per carry to continue moving the ball.
Roberson is completing 58.6% of his passes for 934 yards with eight touchdowns and two picks this season to really be a factor. WR Victor Snow leads the passing attack with 410 yards (14.1 ypc) and five TDs. Buffalo has been struggling offensively as they are tied for 91st in the NCAA with 25.2 points per game. Their defense is allowing 21.3 points per game, which places them tied for 50th in college football. They also allow 344.2 yards per game to rank 53rd and they are outstanding in stopping the pass as they are 29th with 6.1 yards per pass attempt against them.
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Injury Report for Buffalo
- Wide receiver Dwayne Early Jr: Unknown (Questionable)
- Running back Lamar Sperling: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Wide receiver Bobby Mays: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Running back Messiah Burch: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Wide receiver Jasaiah Gathings: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Offensive lineman Jake Timm: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Cornerback Ramari Taylor: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Tight end Ryan Daly: Undisclosed (OUT)
Minutemen Still Searching for First Win
The UMass Minutemen are looking to bounce back from last week’s 42-6 road loss against the Kent State Golden Flashes. Their offense was able to get some yardage as they recorded six points on 271 total yards of offense (227 passing, 44 rushing) throughout the game. Quarterback AJ Hairston finished the game by completing 26-of-48 passes for 227 yards and an interception. The offense struggled to run the football as they averaged just 1.3 yards per rush and committed a pair of turnovers as a team (one interception, one fumble recovery). Their team as a whole struggled with 10 penalties that cost them 83 yards.
The defense allowed 42 points on 330 total yards (179 passing, 151 rushing) and the team was 3-for-12 on third downs and converted 1-of-2 fourth-down tries against the Bearkats. The defense failed to turn the ball over and allowed the Golden Flashes for 9.0 yards per pass attempt.
Hairston is completing 50.5% of his passes for 517 yards with one TD and three picks this season as he has been competing with Brandon Rose. Wide receiver Jacquon Gibson has been effective with 36 catches for 358 yards (9.9 ypc) but failed to record a touchdown. UMass has been terrible as they are 136th in the NCAA with only 9.7 points per game. Their defense is allowing 36.8 points per game, which places them 130th in college football. They also allow 422.0 yards per game to rank 118th and they are horrific in stopping the run, giving up 4.7 yards per rush (105th).
Injury Report for UMass
- Wide receiver Jacquon Gibson: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Running back Rocko Griffin: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Cornerback Kamren Watkins-Hunter: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Cornerback TJ Magee: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Safety DD Snyder: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Offensive lineman Zachary Franks: Undisclosed (OUT)
- Defensive lineman Joshua Nobles: Undisclosed (OUT)
Buffalo Bulls vs. Massachusetts Minutemen Pick
Spread Pick for Buffalo vs. UMass
- Buffalo Bulls -16.5 (5 units)
This is a bet that is more of fading UMass than being confident in Buffalo, but the Bulls are clearly the better team and coming off a bye, while the Minutemen played last week. This game opened at 17.5 points, meaning we are getting a bit of line value as a result of waiting. Ta’Quan Roberson is on the injury report, but is expected to play in this game, and that should be a sign of their dominance. It also helps that they had a week off for him to get healthier. UMass’ offense is not doing too well as they have failed to score more than seven points in their previous four games (5.5 points per game), so there is not much offense that Buffalo will need in order to cover the spread. The Minutemen are 1-5 ATS entering this game, so go with the Buffalo Bulls to cover the spread on the road here.
Over/Under Pick for Buffalo vs. UMass
- UNDER 45.5 (4 units)
This is something that seems to be a good bet, as UMass’ offense is last in college football throughout the season and has been ice cold over the last month. Buffalo’s offense has failed to score 20+ points in two of its previous three games, so they are not able to find the end zone themselves. The defenses are not great, but struggling offenses mean they are not going to be able to move the football too well. AJ Hairston is completing barely over 50.0% of his passes, so there is not much hope here for them to score too many points. All in all, go with UNDER 45.5 POINTS in this game.
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