Tulane Green Wave Continue Slow, Steady Climb up College Football Playoff Ranks
Week 13 of the 2024 college football season featured a ton of chaos, all of which the Tulane Green Wave were able to avoid because they were idle on bye.
Heading into the games, they were No. 20 in the College Football Rankings and AP Poll.
Despite not being on the field to win another game, their standing actually improved because of how many teams around them lost.
They are now the No. 18 ranked team in the AP Poll, and the second highest ranked Group of 5 team after the Army West Point Black Knights were demolished by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 49-14.
That outcome actually hurt the Green Wave, as they are set to face off against the Black Knights in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game on December 6. Had both teams been undefeated, it would have been an incredible chance to boost their resume before the final College Football Playoff rankings were released.
As a result, Tulane still has their work cut out for them, as they have come in at No. 17 in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings, with Army dropping out of the College Football Playoff rankings altogether.
The bubble has been cleared up a little bit given how wild of a weekend the Big 12 had. The Arizona State Sun Devils, who were unranked heading into play in Week 12, are now the highest-ranked team in the conference at No. 16 after defeating the previously No. 14 ranked BYU Cougars, who fell to No. 19.
Also jumping up are the Iowa State Cyclones, who were also not ranked at this point two weeks ago. Their victory over the Utah Utes pushed them from No. 22 to No. 18.
The Colorado Buffaloes, who were also ahead of the Sun Devils at No. 16, are now No. 25 after losing to the Kansas Jayhawks on the road. Texas A&M’s loss to the Auburn Tigers has also crushed their chances, as they too dropped to No. 20 from No. 15.
Of course, the team most Green Wave fans will be keeping an eye on is the Boise State Broncos. They survived a trip to the Wyoming Cowboys and continued climbing the ranks. Now No. 11 in the AP Poll, and No. 11 in the College Football Playoff rankings, they are the highest-ranked G5 team and in the driver’s seat for the automatic bid and a potential bye in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Another team worth watching is the UNLV Rebels.
They could make the Mountain West Conference Championship and present the biggest threat to knocking off the Broncos. However, they are also climbing the polls, up to No. 21 in the AP and No. 22 in the College Football Playoff.
A victory of that magnitude, and winning the MWC over Boise State, could lead to them leapfrogging the Green Wave in the rankings down the road.
A lot can still happen between now and Conference Championship Week and Tulane is going to need some help to really make a move upward.
But, there is one thing they can control; the outcomes of their own games.
If Jon Sumrall and his squad want any chance of advancing to the playoff, they need to defeat the Memphis Tigers on Thanksgiving night and win the AAC Championship Game over the Black Knights at the very least.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.