Predictions, Insider Picks, Analysis as Tulane Green Wave Face Navy Midshipmen
The Tulane Green Wave have an opportunity to punch their ticket to the American Athletic Conference championship game as they prepare to face the Navy Midshipmen on Saturday.
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. central at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Md. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Tulane (8-2, 6-0 in American) is now ranked No. 25 in both the College Football Playoff and AP Top 25 rankings for the first time this season. The Green Wave are the third-highest ranked Group of 5 conference team in the country, so there is ground to make up if they want to play in the first expanded CFP.
But, first things first, the Green Wave has to win the American, and Navy is standing in their way.
Navy (7-2, 5-1) is the only team in the league besides Tulane and Army with one loss or fewer. So, if the Green Wave win on Saturday, then they’re in the AAC title game. If the Midshipmen win, well, things get really complicated for Tulane.
Here are the predictions for the game from the Tulane Green Wave On SI staff.
Michal Brauner, Staff Writer
Tulane 24, Navy 13
Navy has been a nice story all season, but quarterback Darian Mensah and the Green Wave will handle the Midshipmen as a newly-ranked squad.
Troy Brock, Staff Writer
Tulane 48, Navy 14
The Navy Midshipmen and the Tulane Green Wave have been on a collision course for quite some time. While this game is not as important as it once was since the Mids are no longer undefeated, it still holds conference championship implications. When all is said and done, the Green Wave will be rolling into the conference championship game with a win.
Matthew Postins, Staff Writer
Tulane 31, Navy 27
Games against service academies can be tricky for a team like Tulane. Navy runs an offense the Green Wave sees once a year, which makes it hard to prepare for. Defensively, the game is assignment football in its purest form for the Green Wave. A missed assignment usually leads to a big play.
Navy has mixed in the pass, which makes it all the more dangerous offensively. On defense, the Midshipmen have one of the most productive players in the country in linebacker Colin Ramos. That unit will have to find a way to slow down Green Wave running back Makhi Hughes, who has rushed for 100 or more yards in six straight games.
The Midshipmen will slow them down, but the Green Wave will take the game late.
Christian Rauh, Staff Writer
Tulane 45, Navy 24
In what will likely be one of the best games of the weekend, the Tulane Green Wave’s offense is going to make a statement against the Midshipmen. Although the service academies are known for their running game, Hughes will be the one that leads the way as the Green Wave sets itself up nicely for a faceoff with Army in the AAC championship game.
Dylan Sanders, Staff Writer
Tulane 24, Navy 14
This will be a battle of running games trying to control the pace. The Green Wave offense is more than willing to match the Midshipmen in running the ball as much as possible. While Tulane can air the ball out to get out of a jam, this has the makings of a smash mouth football game. That extra explosiveness through the air will be what pushes the Green Wave ahead.
