Buffalo at Minnesota Week 1 College Football Matchup Buffalo at Minnesota Matchup - Week 1
Thu, Aug 28 2025 · Week 1 · 🏟 Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN · Turf · 50,805 cap
Buffalo✈ 730 mi-1 hr TZ
Away
10 23
Final
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📊 Punt & Rally Projection
Buffalo
17
Minnesota
29
P&R Line Minnesota -12
P&R Total O/U 46
Confidence 86 High
Vegas Minnesota -16.5 · O/U 45.5
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
Minnesota -16.5
O/U 45.5
DraftKings
Advanced Stats
PPA + Success Rate agree → Buffalo · 73.9% ATS historically
↓ See full breakdown
Buffalo 2025 Schedule
Buffalo's 2025 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Thu 8/28Buffalo at Minnesota+16.5L10–2345.5L10–23UY
Sat 9/6Buffalo vs St. Francis (PA)-37.0W45–648.0W45–6OY
Sat 9/13Buffalo at Kent State-23.5W31–2848.5W31–28ON
Sat 9/20Buffalo vs Troy-5.5L17–2143.5L17–21UN
Sat 9/27Buffalo vs UConn+3.0L17–2051.5L17–20UY
Sat 10/4Buffalo vs Eastern Michigan-9.5W31–3053.5W31–30ON
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/18Buffalo at Massachusetts-16.5W28–2147.5W28–21ON
Sat 10/25Buffalo vs Akron-10.0L16–2448.5L16–24UN
Sat 11/1Buffalo at Bowling Green+2.5W28–344.5W28–3UY
— Bye Week —
Wed 11/12Buffalo at Central Michigan+2.5L19–3844.5L19–38ON
Wed 11/19Buffalo vs Miami (OH)+2.5L20–3738.5L20–37ON
Fri 11/28Buffalo vs Ohio+7.0L26–3144.5L26–31OY
Minnesota 2025 Schedule
Minnesota's 2025 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Thu 8/28Minnesota vs Buffalo-16.5W23–1045.5W23–10UN
Sat 9/6Minnesota vs Northwestern State-43.0W66–050.5W66–0OY
Sat 9/13Minnesota at California-3.0L14–2741.5L14–27UN
— Bye Week —
Sat 9/27Minnesota vs Rutgers-3.5W31–2851.5W31–28ON
Sat 10/4Minnesota at Ohio State+23.5L3–4242.5L3–42ON
Sat 10/11Minnesota vs Purdue-7.5W27–2049.5W27–20UN
Fri 10/17Minnesota vs Nebraska+7.0W24–647.5W24–6UY
Sat 10/25Minnesota at Iowa+7.5L3–4139.5L3–41ON
Sat 11/1Minnesota vs Michigan State-4.5W23–2044.5W23–20UN
— Bye Week —
Fri 11/14Minnesota at Oregon+26.5L13–4245.5L13–42ON
Sat 11/22Minnesota vs Northwestern+4.0L35–3841.0L35–38OY
Sat 11/29Minnesota vs Wisconsin+2.5W17–738.5W17–7UY
Fri 12/26Minnesota vs New Mexico-1.5W20–1744.5W20–17UY
Advanced Stats
Advanced Analytics Matchup
Matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense) · 2025 season
Buffalo 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
→ Buffalo
Individual Factors — Ranked by Predictive Strength
PPA Overall
Points added per play · Elite predictor
Buffalo #116
+0.274
Minnesota #94
+0.243
Buffalo Edge
PPA Passing
Pass efficiency edge · Strong predictor
Buffalo #103
+0.439
Minnesota #82
+0.452
Minnesota Edge
Havoc Total
Def. disruption rate · Strong predictor
Buffalo #75
0.153
Minnesota #29
0.176
TFLs, sacks, PBUs, forced fumbles — higher is better
Minnesota Edge
Points Per Opp
Drive-finishing edge · Strong predictor
Buffalo #91
+7.341
Minnesota #60
+6.856
Buffalo Edge
Success Rate
Play consistency edge · Solid predictor
Buffalo #109
+0.840
Minnesota #101
+0.790
Buffalo Edge
Field Position
Avg start (lower=better) · Solid predictor
Buffalo #54
70.5
Minnesota #30
69.3
Avg yards from own endzone to average start — lower is better · longer bar = better field position
Minnesota Edge
Advanced stats sourced from CFBD · 2025 season · Edges are matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense)
Power Ratings
Team Power Ratings
Overall · Offense · Defense ratings · Updated as season progresses
Minnesota Rated Higher
Overall Power Rating
Buffalo
-10.8
Minnesota
6.1
Offense Rating
Buffalo
7.6
Minnesota
16.9
Defense Rating (lower = better defense)
Buffalo
18.3
Minnesota
10.8
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 #98
0.00
Minnesota #103
0.00
Avg sequences allowed per game (lower is better)
Buffalo #23
0.00
Minnesota #93
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
Minnesota #1
0.0
Avg GC score allowed per game (lower is better)
Buffalo #91
0.0
Minnesota #84
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
Minnesota
1 — 0 sequences
✗ Predicted incorrectly
GC Battle
Minnesota
77.0 — 10.2 GC score
✗ Predicted incorrectly
Game Result
Minnesota won by 13
Spread Context
ATS Historical Context
Based on 2021–2025 backtest · FBS vs FBS · Regular season

Both metrics agree on Minnesota, 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
Pete Lembo #1
8–4 (67%) · Yr 2 at school
OC Dave Patenaude Yr 2 #1
DC Joe Bowen Yr 2 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
Minnesota
P. J. Fleck #1
57–39 (59%) · Yr 9 at school
OC Greg Harbaugh Jr. Yr 3 #1
DC Danny Collins 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