Tulane Green Wave, Army West Point Predictions, Insider Picks, Analysis
The Tulane Green Wave have been here before. Just not away from home.
The Green Wave (9-3, 7-1) take on the Army West Point Black Knights (10-1, 8-0) in the American Athletic Conference title game at 7 p.m. central at Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y. The game will be broadcast on ABC.
For Army, it will be its first time the AAC title game. In fact, it will be the program’s first conference title game in its history.
But Tulane knows the drill, even if it is under the tutelage of a new head coach in Jon Sumrall, who is reportedly drawing interest from larger programs.
This is the Green Wave’s third straight year in the title game. Two years ago it beat UCF to win the title and then went on to win the Cotton Bowl over USC. Last year, the Green Wave lost to SMU. Those last two championship games were under Willie Fritz, who is now at Houston.
But, oddly enough, this is Sumrall’s third straight title game as a coach. He led Troy to a back-to-back titles in the Sun Belt.
Here are the staff predictions for Friday’s game.
Michael Brauner, Staff Writer
Tulane 34, Army 20
While only one of the two teams enter the championship matchup ranked, the Green Wave is the better squad. Tulane will be just the second real test Army faces after the beatdown against Notre Dame, and while it won’t look quite like that, the Wave gets it done.
Matthew Postins, Staff Writer
Army 31, Tulane 28
Both teams want to run the ball down the opponent’s throat and both are really good at it. The formations are just different.
Both teams do a great job defensively. The one differentiator is that Tulane is more adept at turning turnovers into touchdowns. But Army rarely turns it over.
That means the passing game could be the pivot point. Tulane’s Darian Mensah has been the more productive thrower this season. But Daily is coming off a season-best 190 passing yards. Army doesn’t want to throw it that much. Daily has the ability, though.
Army sets the tone early and gets a lead. Tulane rallies to make it close, perhaps even tie it. The Black Knights win it late on a field goal.
Kenneth Teape, Staff Writer
Tulane 28, Army 24
The Tulane Green Wave suffered a heartbreaking defeat on Thanksgiving night to the Memphis Tigers that dashed their College Football Playoff hopes. But, their season is far from over, as they still have a chance to accomplish their goal of winning the AAC in the first year under head coach Jon Sumrall.
Heading on the road to frigid West Point to take on the Army West Point Black Knights is far from ideal, but the Green Wave will prevail. They will win their second AAC title in three years in a game in which Tulane will play much better in the trenches than it did against Memphis.
Nick Ziegler, Staff Writer
Tulane 24, Army 20
While this matchup likely will likely have no implications for the College Football Playoff, it is still a big game for both teams looking to win a conference championship. The Army Black Knights have never won a conference title, and this won’t be the year that they accomplish their goal. In a matchup between two very efficient offenses, the Tulane Green Wave will have the edge and get the job done.
