Tulane Green Wave Listed As "Long Shot" to Make College Football Playoff

The Tulane Green Wave have played to the best of their ability all season, but it still may not be good enough in the eyes of the College Football Playoff Committee.

Tulane defensive lineman Patrick Jenkins reacts after his tackle during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Rice, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in Houston. / Mandatory Credit - AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith

It has been a Cinderella-like season for the Tulane Green Wave under first-year head coach Jon Sumrall.

The team has played to a 5-2 record overall while jumping out to a 3-0 record in American Athletic Conference play while being one of the highest-ranked Group of Five teams in the nation.

The expansion of the College Football Playoff includes a fifth automatic bid, guaranteeing a bite at the apple for at least one Group of Five conference champion each season, giving new life to the otherwise forgotten-about little brothers of the college football world.

While the Green Wave has done everything possible to make sure that the Group of Five representative is no one else, their path to the finish line is full of stumbling blocks, having to play three of the AAC's four other top teams, the North Texas Mean Green this weekend, the (currently) 24th ranked Navy Midshipmen in Week Twelve, and the Memphis Tigers in Week Fourteen to close out the season.

Their remaining schedule, plus their two losses already on the year (though they did come against Power Five opponents in closely contested matchups), have Bill Connelly of ESPN listing Tulane as a "long shot" to claim a berth in the College Football Playoffs.

On the remaining schedule for the Green Wave, Connelly writes, "That's a rough road, though they might have the upside to pull it off."

And with everything that this team has shown us so far, they are more than capable of doing just that.

It has been all-around dominance in every facet of the game, offensive, defensive, and even on special teams, that has helped lead this team to victory this year.

Though their last game was closely contested, more so than the team would have liked, on the whole for the year Tulane has outscored its opponents 279-141, and they have only allowed an opponent to score 20 or more points once since their two losses early in the campaign.

While the nation may be counting out the Green Wave, those who have followed the program closely all year know what this program is capable of, and know that Jon Sumrall is the man for the job to lead this team to the promised land.

It is a tough road for Tulane down the stretch, but if any team is built to overcome the adversity, it is this team that has overcome the adversity all season long.