Boise State Staves Off Upset Bid, Tulane's CFP Chances Remain Slim
Tulane did what they needed to do on Saturday.
Facing a Navy team that had overperformed this season to that point, the Green Wave entered the contest knowing they would have their hands full against a Midshipmen offense that is always hard to defend.
There were huge stakes on the line as well, with their ticket to the American Athletic Conference championship game capable of being punched with a victory.
Tulane did just that, dominating Navy in emphatic fashion to make yet another statement under their first-year head coach Jon Sumrall as winners of eight straight.
In years past, nobody would be discussing the Green Wave as a national championship contender because of the four-team College Football Playoff format that virtually only rewarded the Power 4 schools, but under the new 12-team format, Group of 5 programs now get their shot to compete for an FBS title.
With Tulane taking care of business early on Saturday to set up their massive showdown against Army in the upcoming AAC championship game, they got to sit back and watch another Group of 5 team try to remain undefeated in their conference play.
Boise State, ranked No. 13, would be the lone G5 representative right now if they win out.
With one loss by three points that came on the road against No. 1 team Oregon, they are viewed as the best team at the Group of 5 level.
However, one loss could change that, and early on, the Broncos were on the ropes against San Jose State.
The Spartans immediately jumped out to a 7-0 lead on their first drive of the game after Boise State went three-and-out, then following a long, 14-play drive by the Broncos to try and answer, they turned the ball over on downs that allowed San Jose State to score another touchdown and lead 14-0.
Shock waves were being sent around the country as it looked like the Group of 5 level was going to be completely shaken up.
Unfortunately for Tulane, things changed when Boise State intercepted a pass in the end zone to prevent San Jose State from taking a definitive 21-point lead because of their goal line stand.
After that, the Broncos slowly clawed their way back into the contest to tie things up before halftime and completely took over the game in the second half.
Boise State won, 42-21, a comfortable win in the end.
But during the early part of the contest, it looked like Tulane might come out of Saturday's slate as the team who would be considered the best at the Group of 5 level.
As it stands now, their College Football Playoff outlook remain slim.
While they will close out the season with a potential to have two solid wins against Memphis and a ranked Army team, they will need some chaos to happen amongst Power 4 teams or for Boise State to eventually lose.
There's still a chance the Green Wave are competing for a national championship in December, but right now, they are on the outside looking in after Boise State staved off an upset bid.
