This is a must-win game Saturday. Tulane, 4-21 in AAC play, has to start winning in conference right now. Tulsa, which is 1-4 and lost to New Mexico and Toledo, is vulnerable.
Since joining the American Athletic Conference, Tulane has been favored only three times, beating UConn 12-3 in 2014 at home as a 3-point favorite, losing to SMU 35-31 at home in 2016 as a 2-point favorite and beating UConn 38-13 on the road in 2016 as a 1-point favorite.
According to Phil Steele's college football preview magazine, Tulane was a 1-point underdog before beating UCF in 2015, so scratch that one off your list if you thought there were any others.
When Tulane went to a bowl game in 2013, it was favored in only one conference game, crushing UTEP 45-3 as a 16-point favorite. The Wave was favored just twice in 11 regular-season games against FBS competition that year, losing to South Alabama as a 6-point favorite the other time.
This already is the second time Tulane has been favored this year, with a very likely third time coming next week at FIU, and, if things go the same they've been going, a fourth time at home against Cincinnati on Nov. 4 and a fifth time at East Carolina on Nov. 11.
Even without significant improvement on offense, which I expect, the opportunity for a bowl game is there. But it has to begin this Saturday with a clean effort against Tulsa.
Since joining the American Athletic Conference, Tulane has been favored only three times, beating UConn 12-3 in 2014 at home as a 3-point favorite, losing to SMU 35-31 at home in 2016 as a 2-point favorite and beating UConn 38-13 on the road in 2016 as a 1-point favorite.
According to Phil Steele's college football preview magazine, Tulane was a 1-point underdog before beating UCF in 2015, so scratch that one off your list if you thought there were any others.
When Tulane went to a bowl game in 2013, it was favored in only one conference game, crushing UTEP 45-3 as a 16-point favorite. The Wave was favored just twice in 11 regular-season games against FBS competition that year, losing to South Alabama as a 6-point favorite the other time.
This already is the second time Tulane has been favored this year, with a very likely third time coming next week at FIU, and, if things go the same they've been going, a fourth time at home against Cincinnati on Nov. 4 and a fifth time at East Carolina on Nov. 11.
Even without significant improvement on offense, which I expect, the opportunity for a bowl game is there. But it has to begin this Saturday with a clean effort against Tulsa.