Tulane Green Wave Ranks Fifth-Best Group Of 5 Team Surging Into Season Midpoint
The Tulane Green Wave is playing outstanding football this season, with a 4-2 record that puts them just two wins away from being bowl-eligible.
It has been a balanced attack under first-year head coach Jon Sumrall that has seen the Green Wave outscore opponents 255-131, almost doubling the opposing scoring output, while holding the last two teams they've played to 20 points or less.
They now enter the midway point of the season following their bye week. It gave Tulane time to rest and recuperate for a strong stretch run that may see them crack the top 25 before the season comes to an end.
Whether or not the team will be ranked remains to be seen, but as far as The Athletic's power rankings are concerned, Tulane finds itself as the fifth-best Group of Five team in the nation.
The Group of Five top ten consists of four AAC programs, the Navy Midshipmen, the Memphis Tigers, the Green Wave, and the Army Black Knights, two of which are currently ranked in the AP top 25 (Navy and Army), and two Tulane still has to play this year (Navy and Memphis).
The remaining schedule does get tough for the Green Wave, with their last two games of the 2024 campaign coming on the road against the Midshipmen and then at home with the Tigers. However, all hope is not lost for a run at the college football playoffs.
"The Green Wave still have a 7 percent chance to make [the College Football Playoffs]," writes Chris Vannini.
Group of Five inclusion is precisely what the College Football Playoff expansion was implemented to do.
Tulane has a long way to go before they can start thinking about a potential playoff berth. Their four victories are more than just easy wins from all the team has shown so far. They should be capable of finishing the year with no less than eight wins, giving them more than enough for bowl eligibility.
The Green Wave does need to outlast the four Group of Five teams ahead of them in the top 10, which is certainly easier said than done but is not impossible.
Just six games stand between Tulane, Jon Sumrall, and the postseason.
Going 6-0 does not guarantee them a spot, but it certainly does not hurt their chances.
Especially if No. 25 Navy is still ranked when that matchup comes around. If No. 23 Army remains undefeated and ends up hosting the conference championship, Tulane may have the opportunity for two critical wins against ranked opponents.
It has been a spectacular first half of the year for the Green Wave, and they now turn their focus to prepare for an even better closing act.
