Buffalo at Wisconsin Week 1 College Football Matchup Buffalo at Wisconsin Matchup - Week 1
Sat, Sep 2 2023 · Week 1 · 🏟 Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI · Turf · 80,321 cap
Buffalo✈ 536 mi-1 hr TZ
Away
17 38
Final
Home
📊 Punt & Rally Projection
Buffalo
13
Wisconsin
37
P&R Line Wisconsin -24
P&R Total O/U 49.5
Confidence 86 High
Vegas Wisconsin -29 · O/U 52.5
Matchup Prediction
Toss-up — no clear edge
Neither metric shows a meaningful pre-game edge in this matchup.
Momentum Control
58.4%
Lean
Game Control
50.6%
Toss-up
Vegas Spread
Wisconsin -29
O/U 52.5
William Hill (New Jersey)
Advanced Stats
PPA + Success Rate agree → Wisconsin · 73.9% ATS historically
↓ See full breakdown
Buffalo 2023 Schedule
Buffalo's 2023 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 9/2Buffalo at Wisconsin+29.0L17–3852.5L17–38OY
Sat 9/9Buffalo vs Fordham-23.5L37–4055.5L37–40ON
Sat 9/16Buffalo vs Liberty+2.5L27–5554.0L27–55ON
Sat 9/23Buffalo at Louisiana+10.5L38–4557.5L38–45OY
Sat 9/30Buffalo at Akron+3.0W13–1053.0W13–10UY
Sat 10/7Buffalo vs Central Michigan+2.5W37–1351.5W37–13UY
Sat 10/14Buffalo vs Bowling Green-3.0L14–2444.5L14–24UN
Sat 10/21Buffalo at Kent State-6.5W24–644.0W24–6UY
— Bye Week —
Tue 10/31Buffalo at Toledo+14.0L13–3147.0L13–31UN
Tue 11/7Buffalo vs Ohio+9.5L10–2045.5L10–20UN
Wed 11/15Buffalo at Miami (OH)+7.5L10–2336.5L10–23UN
Tue 11/21Buffalo vs Eastern Michigan-6.5L11–2438.5L11–24UN
Wisconsin 2023 Schedule
Wisconsin's 2023 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 9/2Wisconsin vs Buffalo-29.0W38–1752.5W38–17ON
Sat 9/9Wisconsin at Washington State-5.0L22–3158.0L22–31UN
Sat 9/16Wisconsin vs Georgia Southern-20.5W35–1465.5W35–14UY
Fri 9/22Wisconsin at Purdue-5.5W38–1754.0W38–17OY
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/7Wisconsin vs Rutgers-12.5W24–1344.0W24–13UN
Sat 10/14Wisconsin vs Iowa-8.0L6–1533.5L6–15UN
Sat 10/21Wisconsin at Illinois-3.0W25–2140.5W25–21OY
Sat 10/28Wisconsin vs Ohio State+14.5L10–2448.0L10–24UY
Sat 11/4Wisconsin at Indiana-9.5L14–2045.0L14–20UN
Sat 11/11Wisconsin vs Northwestern-9.5L10–2443.5L10–24UN
Sat 11/18Wisconsin vs Nebraska-7.5W24–1736.5W24–17ON
Sat 11/25Wisconsin at Minnesota-1.5W28–1442.0W28–14UY
Mon 1/1Wisconsin vs LSU+9.5L31–3559.5L31–35OY
Advanced Stats
Advanced Analytics Matchup
Matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense) · 2023 season
Wisconsin PPA Edge
Agreement Signals — When All Metrics Agree
Elite · 83.1% ATS
PPA + PPO + SR + Havoc
Split
Metrics disagree
Elite · 82.4% ATS
PPA + PPO + Havoc
Split
Metrics disagree
Elite · 73.9% ATS
PPA + Success Rate
Both Agree
→ Wisconsin
Individual Factors — Ranked by Predictive Strength
PPA Overall
Points added per play · Elite predictor
Buffalo #130
+0.131
Wisconsin #84
+0.303
Wisconsin Edge
PPA Passing
Pass efficiency edge · Strong predictor
Buffalo #130
+0.223
Wisconsin #116
+0.326
Wisconsin Edge
Havoc Total
Def. disruption rate · Strong predictor
Buffalo #39
0.176
Wisconsin #44
0.172
TFLs, sacks, PBUs, forced fumbles — higher is better
Buffalo Edge
Points Per Opp
Drive-finishing edge · Strong predictor
Buffalo #95
+6.520
Wisconsin #55
+7.566
Wisconsin Edge
Success Rate
Play consistency edge · Solid predictor
Buffalo #116
+0.778
Wisconsin #50
+0.823
Wisconsin Edge
Field Position
Avg start (lower=better) · Solid predictor
Buffalo #65
70.6
Wisconsin #76
70.8
Avg yards from own endzone to average start — lower is better · longer bar = better field position
Buffalo Edge
Advanced stats sourced from CFBD · 2023 season · Edges are matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense)
Power Ratings
Team Power Ratings
Overall · Offense · Defense ratings · Updated as season progresses
Wisconsin Rated Higher
Overall Power Rating
Buffalo
-10.8
Wisconsin
0.4
Offense Rating
Buffalo
7.6
Wisconsin
15.1
Defense Rating (lower = better defense)
Buffalo
18.3
Wisconsin
14.7
Power ratings updated throughout the season as results accumulate
Momentum Control (CSS)
Consecutive Scoring Sequences Who builds scoring momentum? Buffalo Edge
Avg sequences created per game
Buffalo #109
0.00
Wisconsin #76
0.00
Avg sequences allowed per game (lower is better)
Buffalo #82
0.00
Wisconsin #6
0.00
Buffalo +0.00
CSS Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 58.4% of games historically
Based on 0 games this season
Game Control (GC)
Win Probability Dominance Who controls games start to finish? Buffalo Edge
Avg GC score per game (offense)
Buffalo #1
0.0
Wisconsin #1
0.0
Avg GC score allowed per game (lower is better)
Buffalo #121
0.0
Wisconsin #85
0.0
Buffalo +0.0
GC Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 50.6% of games historically
Based on 0 games this season
Actual Result
CSS Battle
Wisconsin
2 — 0 sequences
✗ Predicted incorrectly
GC Battle
Wisconsin
88.5 — 2.3 GC score
✗ Predicted incorrectly
Game Result
Wisconsin won by 21
Spread Context
ATS Historical Context
Based on 2021–2025 backtest · FBS vs FBS · Regular season

Both metrics agree on Wisconsin, but the GC edge is small. When metrics agree but GC is near-neutral, the agreed-upon team has covered only 46.7% of the time historically (n=224) — potentially a fade signal.

ATS data is informational only. Past cover rates do not guarantee future results.

Coaching Matchup
Buffalo
Maurice Linguist #1
11–17 (39%) · Yr 3 at school
OC DJ Mangas Yr 1 #1
DC Robert Wright Yr 1 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
Wisconsin
Luke Fickell #1
2–1 (67%) · Yr 1 at school
OC Phil Longo Yr 1 #1
DC Colin Hitschler Yr 1 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
About these metrics
Advanced Stats shows matchup-adjusted factor edges (offense vs opponent defense). Combination signals — when PPA, PPO, Success Rate, and Havoc all point the same direction — have historically predicted the SU winner in 95–97% of games and the ATS winner in 82–83% of games (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS, regular season).
Impact: Advanced Stats are the best performance based metric used to predict the outcome of games.

Momentum Control (CSS) measures consecutive scoring sequences — when a team scores, holds the opponent scoreless, then scores again. Teams entering a game with a CSS edge of +1.0 or more have won 71–78% of games historically (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS).
Impact: CSS is not a predictive ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Game Control (GC) measures win probability dominance — how thoroughly a team controlled the game from start to finish. Teams with a GC edge of +12 or more have won 67–76% of games historically. When both metrics agree, combined confidence is higher. When they split, treat as a lean at best.
Impact: GS is not a predictive ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Power Ratings are a custom-built composite of a Teams Talent, Experience & Production, Coaching & Performance Metrics. These are updated constantly with roster changes, performance once the games start for the 2026 season, injuries the team is dealing with and scheduling situations.
Impact: There are a wide range of power ratings available, we think ours is the best, you can decide for yourself