Right now UB lacks the budget and facilities to compete at a higher level, though they make progress. They just opened an indoor football fieldhouse this year. I know basketball has been complaining they don't have a dedicated practice facility. Another thing holding them back is the SUNY system itself. They have limits on what coaches can earn. That would have to change.
But since going to D1 in all sports they have made progress. Making the NCAA tournament or the top 25 was a pipe dream 15 years ago. Now look at us. And the fan base and donor base has grown. Still not big compared to P5 schools but growing.
UB is trapped between two worlds. It's a big fish in the MAC but would be small potatoes in, say, the Big Ten. For a state flagship university it's smallish (31,000 students) because SUNY has 64 campuses, so students get spread around. When the AAC had UCONN drop out, many said UB would be a natural replacement. One northeast school for another. But joining a larger conference means increased travel and expenses, though revenue should increase too.
The AAC has been cool so far to replacing UCONN, and the pandemic has messed everything up. But eventually there will be another conference shuffle. And that's when UB might make a move. Right now, even being in the MAC, they have a good rep for being a program where an up-and-coming coach can succeed and move up. Sucks that coaches and AD's move on, but they have been fortunate that replacements have been solid.
Let's see where we are in 2030.