How Much Did Tulane Green Wave Improve AAC and College Football Playoff Odds?

Week 9 was a successful one for the Tulane Green Wave on the field and in the polls.

Sep 9, 2017; Annapolis, MD, USA; Tulane Green Wave tight end Charles Jones II (84) celebrates with teammates after scoring on a two-point conversion during the fourth quarter against the Navy Midshipmen at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Navy Midshipmen defeated Tulane Green Wave 23-21. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Tulane Green Wave continued to handle business in Week 9 when they went on the road to face the North Texas Mean Green in a very important American Athletic Conference matchup.

They were able to come out victorious on their visit to Denton, Texas, 45-37 after leading 45-24 heading into the fourth quarter. That win makes it five in a row for Jon Sumrall’s squad, who are building a ton of momentum into the end of the regular season.

Now 6-2 on the season an undefeated in the AAC, the Green Wave are keeping within reach of a conference championship and potential spot in the College Football Playoff.

They were one of the biggest beneficiaries of how games played out last week. As shared by Bill Connelley of ESPN in his conference and playoff outlook, Tulane now has a 12.6 percent chance of winning their conference.

The leader in the clubhouse right now is the Army West Point Black Knights, who have a 62.6 percent chance of taking home the title. The only Group of 5 team with higher conference title odds are the Boise State Broncos, who have a 71.6 percent chance of winning the Mountain West Conference.

“With Navy losing so thoroughly to Notre Dame, the Midshipmen's SP+ ratings fell, as did their AAC title odds. Army (up 4.8%) and Tulane (up 3.2%) benefited the most,” Connelly wrote in his write-up for the conference.

The Black Knights and Green Wave aren’t scheduled to face each other in the regular season. But, they could be on a collision course to battle it out for the ACC Championship.

Army has a strong chance of finishing the season with one or zero losses, as Connelly’s projections have them with a 53.2 percent chance. The No. 21 ranked team in the nation has a contest against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and rivalry games against the Air Force Falcons and Navy Midshipmen.

Tulane’s road is not easy either. In Connelley’s opinion, they are taking part in two of the biggest G5 games remaining on the calendar; on the road against Navy on November 16th and at home against the Memphis Tigers on November 28th.

A lot is going to change between now and championship weekend. The Green Wave have been playing some great football, but know that their job is far from complete to achieve the goals that were set coming into the season.