The Bulls will be put to the test once again in 2023.
UB football recently announced its full schedule for the upcoming season, and it features some formidable non-conference opponents. Eight of UB’s 12 opponents this year appeared in a bowl game in 2022.
Here’s a look at the schedule:
Sept. 2 at Wisconsin
Just like last season, the Bulls will once again open the season at a Big Ten powerhouse, only this time at Wisconsin.
The Badgers had a disappointing 2022 (at least by their standards), finishing 7-6 and ending their season with a victory over Oklahoma State in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
For a team that annually looks to compete for Big Ten championships and potential College Football Playoff appearances, Wisconsin will look to rebound in 2023.
UB and Wisconsin have only played once in history, dating all the way back to a 35-3 drubbing by the Badgers in 2006.
Sept. 9 versus Fordham
UB will have its home opener against the Fordham Rams, an FCS program.
Fordham is coming off an impressive 2022 campaign in which they finished 9-3, losing to the University of New Hampshire in the FCS Championship.
Despite Fordham’s lower-level program, the Bulls will have their hands full after losing to a different FCS school, Holy Cross, in 2022.
Sept. 16 versus Liberty
The Liberty Flames will visit UB Stadium in 2023. After getting off to a scorching 8-1 start in 2022, the Flames dropped their last four games, finishing with a record of 8-5 after losing to Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl.
The Bulls will have a familiarity with the Flames’ system, as former Coastal Carolina head coach Jamey Chadwell steps into the same role for Liberty next season. UB lost to Coastal Carolina in back-to-back seasons during 2021 and 2022, but a third time could be the charm against Chadwell.
UB and Liberty most recently matched up in 2019, when Liberty took down the Bulls by a score of 35-17. The Flames hold an all-time record of 2-0 against UB.
Sept. 23 at Louisiana
The Bulls will close out their non-conference schedule at Cajun Field, home of the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.
This will be the first meeting between the two squads, with a subsequent visit by Louisiana to Buffalo in 2030.
The Ragin’ Cajuns finished 6-7 in 2022. The Cajuns also appeared at the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, where they lost to Houston 23-16.
MAC Opponents
The Bulls also know who they’ll be hosting and where they’ll be going once the MAC schedule begins on Sept. 30.
The four MAC teams UB hosts this season include Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Ohio.
UB will go on the road to play Akron, Kent State, Miami (OH) and Toledo.
Brandon Cochi is an assistant sports editor and can be reached at brandon.cochi@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
