Tulane Green Wave vs. North Texas a Game All Group of 5 Teams Will Be Watching
The Tulane Green Wave has put themselves in a great position now that we have passed the midway point of the college football season.
At 5-2, with a 3-0 American Athletic Conference record, they are right in the mix for a spot in the championship game. If they can keep this level of performance up, they could have an argument at earning a spot in the College Football Playoff as well.
Alas, their work is far from being done.
There are several challenges that lie ahead, starting with their Week 9 matchup against the North Texas Mean Green.
Their new AAC foes have had a strong campaign of their own. They are 5-2, 2-1 in conference, with losses coming against the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Memphis Tigers.
For the Mean Green to climb back into the championship game picture, they probably cannot afford to lose another game. Knocking off a team ahead of them in the standings, as Tulane currently resides, would be big for them.
That is what makes this matchup one that many G5 teams will be keeping an eye on. There is a lot at stake for the Green Wave, as they pretty much need to run the table to remain in CFP contention.
“Tulane is unbeaten in the AAC, while 2-1 North Texas has lost only a track meet at Memphis. (And I mean track meet: At one point, UNT's DT Sheffield scored twice on consecutive 75-yard gains.) The Green Wave have as much upside as anyone in the Group of 5 and, with two nonconference losses, have to hope they keep winning and the favorites in the CFP race don't. Quarterback Darian Mensah has only gotten better since he nearly led the Wave to an upset of Kansas State in September,” wrote Bill Connelly in his Week 9 college football preview piece for ESPN.
These are the two of the three highest-scoring teams in the AAC facing off. There would be a lot of offensive fireworks as both teams can rack up points at a rapid pace.
Tulane will hold a massive edge defensively as the Mean Green has given up 250 points this season; the Green Wave is at 141.
Heading into this week, their odds of making the playoff are 8.7 percent. Things will shuffle ahead of them, as the Boise State Broncos (46.0 percent) and UNLV Rebels (18.2 percent) are first and third and play each other as well.
The only other team ahead of them, coming in second with 24.5 percent, is the Army West Point Black Knights. Tulane could be on a collision course with them for the AAC Championship.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.