Buffalo vs Kent State Pick & Prediction – 9/13/2025
The Buffalo Bulls and Kent State Golden Flashes will make their MAC debut for the season when they face off in their conference opener on Saturday. Both teams are 1-1 this season after beating FCS opponents and losing to teams from power conferences. They will try to move above the .500 mark for the season with a victory this weekend. For a closer look at this game and my Buffalo vs Kent State prediction, continue reading my preview of this game below.
Our Buffalo vs Kent State Pick
- Pick: Kent State +22.5
- Confidence: 3/5
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Game Snapshot
- Teams: Buffalo Bulls vs Kent State Golden Flashes
- Date & Time: Saturday, September 13, 12:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: Dix Stadium, Kent, OH
- Broadcast: CBS Sports Network
Key Storylines
- Buffalo started their season with a loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers by 13 points before beating FCS St. Francis in Week 2. The Bulls are exactly where they were expected to be going into conference play and this will be their first important test of the 2025 season.
- Kent State is on the same boat with a win over FCS Merrimack and a blowout loss to Texas Tech. Kent State is expected to be one of the worst teams in the MAC this year but they will look to prove those expectations wrong as a huge home underdog here.
Quarterback Play
Buffalo: Ta’Quan Roberson opened the season at Minnesota and went 12-of-20 for 107 yards with a 40-yard touchdown to Victor Snow. He has thrown two touchdown passes and one interception and his completion rate is barely above 50% so far this year. That percentage should increase as he faces fewer power conference opponents as the year goes on.
Kent State: CJ Montes and Dru DeShields have both been used early in the season by the Golden Flashes. DeShields has two passing touchdowns so far this season and will try to make his mark against Buffalo. But it will be interesting to see how Kent State splits its quarterback duties in the first game that is expected to be truly competitive for them this season.
Betting Trends & H2H
- Buffalo is off to a 2-0 start against the spread this season.
- Kent State is 0-2 against the spread for the 2025 season.
- Buffalo has an 11-9 lead in the all-time series against Kent State. They have won two straight games over the Golden Flashes.
Buffalo vs Kent State Model Projection
Score Projection: Buffalo 28 – Kent State 17
Win Probability: Buffalo 69%, Kent State 31%
Final Thoughts
Buffalo seems to have a more clear-cut offensive identity at this point in the season. But that identity hasn’t been explosive yet this year. We should see the Bulls put some points up in this contest. But I think that Kent State will do enough to slow Buffalo down to cover the spread while Buffalo gets their first win in MAC play.
