Tulane Green Wave Among Top Three in Latest G5 Power Rankings
The Cinderella season continues on the gridiron for the Tulane Green Wave with all eyes looking toward tonight's release of the first official College Football Playoff rankings.
The Green Wave have done more than enough to deserve a bite at the apple to this point in the season, though their two losses (both coming to Power Four opponents while remaining competitive no less) may have their hopes riding on an American Athletic Conference Championship and the Boise State Broncos forgetting their way out of the stable.
Heather Dinich of ESPN released her weekly College Football Playoff projections today ahead of tonight's first official rankings release, and Dinich's projections also include a Group of Five power ranking.
Dinich has Tulane ranked as the third-best Group of Five program, behind only the Broncos and the Army Black Knights.
"The Green Wave's two losses were to nonconference opponents Oklahoma and K-State, so they can win the ACC and have a shot if Boise State loses," writes Dinich, "the 41-33 triumph at Louisiana is also a critical head-to-head win."
"Win" is the key verb in that assessment, as outside of their two matchups against Power Four opponents, that is all that the Green Wave has done this year.
Tulane enters the week with a 7-2 record overall, with a 5-0 record in conference play, indicating that first-year head coach Jon Sumrall has brought his knack for success with him from the Troy Trojans.
The Trojans won the Sun Belt Conference Championship in both of Sumrall's years at the helm, and he has the Green Wave on track to win the American Athletic Conference Championship for the second time in three years.
Tulane has shown dominance on both sides of the ball, with the ability to light up the scoreboard with ease, while holding their opponents in check, outscoring their opposition 358-181, falling just four points shy of doubling their opponents' combined scoring output.
The Green Wave does have two tough matchups left on their schedule with the Navy Midshipmen and the Memphis Tigers, but both of those teams have scuffled of late, while Tulane continues to play some of their best football week in and week out.
It has been a spectacular season for the Green Wave and first-year head coach Jon Sumrall, and whether that ends in a regular bowl game or a berth in the College Football Playoffs, the momentum going into next year will be immense.
