Gasparilla Bowl Still Has Intrigue Despite Tulane Green Wave Departures
The Tulane Green Wave were unable to close out the 2024 campaign in the fashion they wanted.
They were riding an eight-game winning streak into their regular season finale against the Memphis Tigers on Thanksgiving night. A spot in the College Football Playoff was still attainable, they just had to handle business on the field.
Unfortunately, they fell short in that matchup.
A showdown against the Army West Point Black Knights in the American Athletic Conference championship game was on deck, but they had to go on the road to play.
Another disappointing performance ensued.
It was the third year in a row they made the title game, but the second straight time they were defeated.
As a result, they will now be taking part in the Gasparilla Bowl against the Florida Gators on Dec. 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
There is some intrigue in the matchup, as it is always interesting to see a Group of 5 team matching up with a power conference opponent.
Tulane had two such games this year. They lost both but were competitive in them.
The Kansas State Wildcats won in New Orleans, 34-27. In the following week, the Green Wave went on the road to face the Oklahoma Sooners and lost, 34-19.
But, heading into their game against Florida, some of the luster has worn off with quarterback Darian Mensah, who started for Tulane all year, entering the transfer portal and committing to the Duke Blue Devils almost immediately.
Staring in his place will be Ty Thompson, a former five-star recruit who transferred into the program from the Oregon Ducks. He too will be entering the transfer portal but will be making his first collegiate start to showcase himself for prospective teams.
Despite the loss of such a big name, Zach Koons of Sports Illustrated has ranked the Gasparilla Bowl at No. 17 among the 36 bowl games, not including the College Football Playoff matchups.
“... Still, the Green Wave’s defense is still one of the best units in the country, running back Makhi Hughes ran for 1,372 yards this season (10th in FBS) and head coach Jon Sumrall spurned interest from major programs to stay in New Orleans, keeping the program as one of the premier teams in the AAC.”
Losing their entire quarterback depth chart and some key players to the transfer portal certainly hurts, but being able to keep Sumrall in New Orleans for at least one more year is a huge win.
He has kept the momentum that Willie Fritz built going, as the team has a chance to win double-digit games for a third straight year, keeping a program-record streak alive.
Winning their 10th game will certainly be a challenge, though.
The Gators are entering the contest with a lot of positive momentum, winning their final three games of the season with an offense featuring star freshman quarterback DJ Lagway.
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.