ATHENS, Ga. -- Jeff Quinn didn't tippy-toe around the issue. The UB coach knows people aren't naive enough to think the university scheduled a road game against an SEC power because it expected the Bulls to skip out of town with an upset win.
"We know why we play these games," Quinn said in a press conference this week, "for national exposure and the opportunity for five players on our roster to head back to their home state."
There is also, of course, the money. By its own modest standards, UB will be handsomely rewarded for performing against No. 6-ranked Georgia this afternoon. Georgia paid the Bulls about $1 million to play the role of hapless visitor before a crowd of around 92,000 at Sanford Stadium.
This is common practice nowadays in the major revenue-producing sports of basketball and football. The elite schools "buy games" against schools from bottom conferences, tossing the UBs of the world a pile of money to show up and play against teams with far greater financial and athletic resources.
The rich get richer in major college football, which at its upper regions is essentially a professional enterprise, masquerading as good old college football. It's no surprise there would be so much scandal and corruption when you consider how much money is at stake.
Today is UB's chance to sniff the rarefied, if ethically polluted, air of big-time college sports. Last year, they played at Tennessee. In earlier years, they went to Missouri, Wisconsin, Auburn, Baylor. Next year, they pay a visit to Ohio State, which is slowly moving past its scandal.
The players love these games. It gives them a chance to measure themselves against the best, and to wander onto the fringes of the big-time for at least a day or two. Coaches use these games in recruiting. Quinn has five players from Georgia on his roster. When he recruited them, you know he pointed to the Georgia game as part of the package.
"It's an excellent opportunity to come back home and play in front of family and friends," said UB cornerback Najja Johnson, a Buffalo native whose parents moved to Atlanta when he was a baby. "This was on my bucket list to play in Sanford Stadium. It's an excellent environment and I'm looking forward to it. But at the end of the day, I still have every intention of going down there and winning."
The Bulls are just young and foolish enough to think they can win. Georgia, a 38-point favorite, is ranked in the top 10 in virtually every preseason poll. They won the SEC East last year, which is a little tougher than the MAC East. They have 10 returning starters on a defense that was ranked fifth in the nation a year ago.
OK, as many as four of Georgia's defensive players could be out due to suspensions. Their backups would probably be the best D in the MAC. They have a 358-pound nose tackle with a 351-pound backup. They're big. They're deep. They're fast. Many have futures in the NFL.
So Quinn has to walk a fine line. He wants his guys to be confident, to ignore the big crowd and to treat the Bulldogs like any other team, like Akron or Bowling Green. At the same time, he doesn't want them to lose sight of the realities, the disparity in the programs. You don't want their spirits crushed if, as expected, they get smashed on the scoreboard.
"I want them to be excited," Quinn said. "I don't want them to feel that pressure. I want them to be just the great competitors they are, and understand that our goals are about executing. Certainly playing against a quality opponent is going to be a tremendous challenge for these young men."
Quinn said his team will ultimately be judged by its play in the MAC. He would be content if the Bulls competed well today in defeat, then beat Morgan State and Kent State to start the season 2-1. A respectable showing today could be a springboard for a good season.
"I'm not going to allow the scoreboard to decide," Quinn said. "The scoreboard is a display of what happens on the field. I want to see what we do, each player and each play and each unit when they're out there - to determine what we would all consider a successful day, so we know we're making progress in our program."
That's the big thing. How far has the program progressed under Quinn? During his time as AD, Warde Manuel felt it was important to schedule these non-leaguers against national powers to elevate the program while raising funds. Eventually, it was supposed to pay off on the field.
The Bulls are 5-19 in Quinn's two seasons. People expected better from a man who helped transform programs as a top assistant under Brian Kelly. Quinn needs to show some sort of progress in his third season. He has a five-year contract, so he's not in any immediate danger. But UB has a new athletic director, Danny White, which is always a source of unease for incumbent coaches.
The Bulls don't have to win today. But if UB is going to schedule these games, the least the team could do is not embarrass itself. Buffalo fans like to consider themselves big-time. They're not going to embrace a college team that wins two or three games. It's been four years since they won the MAC under Turner Gill. The cycle should be turning back.
It won't help that this year's UB conference schedule is perhaps the toughest in the MAC. Relative to its overall standing in the sport, it's one of the toughest in the country.
The players believe the program is ready to turn the corner again. If so, there should be at least some tangible evidence today. At some point, it would be nice if the elite schools were reluctant to purchase UB's attendance in games like this, because they might mess up the plan and actually win.
