"Keep an Eye On" Tulane Green Wave For College Football Playoff Appearance
The Tulane Green Wave continued their winning ways this week with a 24-10 win over the Rice Owls, moving to 5-2 on the season and 3-0 in American Athletic Conference play.
It has been a spectacular year for the program under first-year head coach Jon Sumrall, one that will surely see them be no less than bowl-eligible for the third consecutive season, and eighth time this century.
While becoming bowl-eligible is a great accomplishment, with the advent of the College Football Playoff expansion, the Green Wave could be playing for much more come the end of the regular season.
David Ubben of The Athletic named Tulane as a program that we should "keep an eye on" in a recent article discussing the College Football Playoff bubble.
"Tulane hasn’t lost in conference play," writes Ubben, "while winning its three AAC games by an average of 33.3 points."
This dominance has led many to believe that the Green Wave are more than capable contenders for the AAC Championship, with the champion being the Boise State Broncos' best challenger for the Group of Five bid, especially if the Broncos get a hitch in their giddyup down the stretch.
Tulane has not shown any signs of slowing down this season and has also shown that they are capable of hanging with the big boys as they remained competitive in their two losses, both at the hands of Power Five programs in the Kansas State Wildcats and the Oklahoma Sooners, losing those two contests by only a combined 22 points.
Their dominance in conference could face some challenges down the stretch, however, as they do still have to face the Navy Midshipmen who are currently ranked 24th in college football and are undefeated on the year.
The rest of the Green Wave's schedule should not prove very challenging, easily putting the program in a favorable bowl game, and potentially a College Football Playoff berth should they go undefeated down the stretch.
Jon Sumrall has done a fantastic job in his first season with Tulane, showing once again that he is capable of winning no matter where he lays his head at night.
The powerful rushing attack led by Makhi Hughes with his 744 yards and eight touchdowns on 136 attempts could help lead the way for the Green Wave to wash over the competition.
Whatever happens down the stretch, Tulane has made sure that their name is in the mix, and that the nation keeps an eye on them as a legitimate contender.
