Whaler ... your first mistake: was not understanding the history of the UB Program. Quinn, following Gill's lead, has markedly improved everything about that program. Their 1998-2006 period was horrid. Their Athletics were at Central Connecticut level.
upstater is a college professor and knows UB extraordinarily well. I have been an adjunct Professor in the SUNY system and my Dad was a college president. You make this broad statement that you know every FBS program better than all rest of us and that instantly gets me smirking. How is that possible? I am studying the enrollment patterns of these schools for a living - I do student housing investment - and I have read a vast amount on Buffalo. I know that UB has HUGE ideas on growth. Like go from 24 to 30 ... or double its size. It is AAU. It has the land and the community backing. It's potential? Far beyond all of the MAC schools academically!
This is another reason the Conference Realignment and Power 5 suck. It is entirely possible that UB far outpaces Syracuse. The SUNY Polytechnic initiative (started at UAlbany) has begun a huge research commitment at UB. This school could be a powerhouse ... and that also is sports. The Cartel doesn't allow that; and its effect is beyond football.
My conclusion is that AD White thinks UB has far higher arc than they have had. Quinn is a solid MAC coach and would be competitive for quite some time; he did nothing (particularly not losing to Eastern Michigan) to warrant this hook. But, White has his eye on a Big Program. And, this is a glimpse of a guy that wants to re-position his Program into a different path.
