International Bowl: Buffalo vs. Connecticut Preview

The Buffalo Bulls upset Ball State in winning the MAC title and will head north to face the UConn Huskies January 3 for the International Bowl.
If you look at the recent history between the Bulls and UConn, you will see four straight ATS wins by the Huskies and a 139-10 total score. But these Bulls have improved dramatically under coach Turner Gill.

Oddsmakers currently have the Huskies listed as 7-point favorites versus the Bulls, while the game’s total is sitting at 51.

Naaman Roosevelt caught three TD passes in leading Buffalo to a 42-24 season-ending victory over Ball State in Week 15. Buffalo won the game as 16-point underdogs, while the 66 points made it OVER the posted total of 63.5.

Drew Willy completed 19-of-28 for 206 yards with three touchdowns.

Donald Brown totaled 189 yards on the ground and one touchdown for Connecticut in a 34-10 loss to Pittsburgh in Week 15.

The Huskies failed to cover the 1.5-point spread, while the combined score played just UNDER the posted total of 46.

Team records:
Buffalo: 8-5 SU, 9-4 ATS
Connecticut: 7-5 SU, 5-6 ATS

Buffalo most recently:
When playing on turf are 6-4
After being outgained are 6-4
When playing outside the conference are 2-8
After playing Ball State are 1-2

Connecticut most recently:
When playing on turf are 3-7
After outgaining opponent are 4-6
When playing outside the conference are 7-3
After playing Pittsburgh are 2-2

A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Buffalo’s last 8 games
Buffalo is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Buffalo is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Buffalo is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Connecticut
Connecticut is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Buffalo
Connecticut is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Buffalo
Connecticut is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games