One of college basketball's best programs resides in Western New York.

The UB Bulls are 3-0 this season, including a stunning overtime upset over then-No. 13 West Virginia last week.

Observers around the country are taking notice. UB's ranked No. 25 by the Associated Press for the first time in school history.

"For a mid-major team to be ranked this high this early in the season, it's pretty unheard of," said Brian Wolff, a UB grad who has worked in the athletic department for 13 years.

Under head coach Nate Oats, the Bulls are the first team in a decade from the Mid-American Conference to make the Top 25. But their success isn't really new. They've been to the NCAA Tournament three of the last four years — and last March, knocked off national powerhouse Arizona in the first round.

"It really put the Bulls on the map," Wolff said.

While the basketball program is on a run of unprecedented success, just across the street at UB Stadium, the football team has never looked better. In fact, their nine wins through the first 10 games is the best mark in school history.

"There's a lot of pride in that. We talk about having pride in playing for Buffalo," head coach Lance Leipold said.

He has the Bulls on the verge of clinching a MAC East division title with win at Ohio on Wednesday. A roster filled with potential NFL players is working toward just the third bowl game appearance for UB, after coming up just short last season.

"It would be a huge step for our program in building what we want to be and that's a consistent winner," Leipold said.

The national exposure is a welcomed aid to fundraising and recruiting for athletic director Mark Alnutt, who took over last March. He's overheard restaurant conversations that are routinely becoming about the Bulls' buzz for the athletic teams.

"People are talking about UB, and it does so much for our brand," he said.

Prior to his arrival, university officials made the tough decision to eliminate several sports to save money. Those were men's baseball, men's soccer, men's swimming and diving, and women's rowing.

"Now we're moving forward and we're able to use resources to enhance our other programs," Alnutt said.

Women's basketball — which won two NCAA Tournament games last season — tennis, and volleyball are among the other teams who've joined in on the recent winning ways at UB.