Tulane Green Wave Receives Ugly Gasparilla Bowl Prediction Against Florida Gators
About three weeks ago, the Tulane Green Wave had legitimate College Football Playoff aspirations.
They were riding an eight-game winning streak heading into their regular season finale against the Memphis Tigers. A win there would have clinched home field in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game against the Army West Point Black Knights.
Untimely turnovers led to a devastating loss, as Tulane had to then go on the road in the AAC Championship Game. Things didn’t get any better in West Point, as they were defeated easily, 35-14.
Now riding a two-game losing streak, the Green Wave will be playing in the Gasparilla Bowl against the surging Florida Gators.
Their SEC foes are riding a ton of positive momentum into the game, as they are on a three-game winning streak, Tulane is going to be shorthanded.
While it is nice that all of their draft-eligible players are planning to take part in the contest, the Green Wave are going to be without several key contributors as the transfer portal is full of their players.
The biggest loss is redshirt freshman quarterback Darian Mensah.
A breakout star in 2024, he entered his name into the portal when first eligible and two days later committed to the Duke Blue Devils.
Defensive tackle Preston Peterson also left, as he committed to the Wisconsin Badgers. Edge rusher Matthew-Fobbs White will be joining the Baylor Bears.
Ty Thompson will take Mensah’s place in the starting lineup. A former five-star recruit of the Oregon Ducks, he will be making his first collegiate start in his last game with the program; he too will be entering the transfer portal but using the Gasparilla Bowl as a showcase for prospective programs.
Sizable underdogs in the matchup, Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated isn’t expecting this to be an overly competitive matchup. He has predicted a 31-14 victory for the Gators at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida.
“The Green Wave were upset in both of their last two games and lost their star freshman quarterback, Darian Mensah, to the portal. Not great, although coach Jon Sumrall did pull his name out of contention for several jobs. Florida, meanwhile, turned a sour season into a strong finish with a three-game winning streak, retaining coach Billy Napier and keeping rising star QB DJ Lagway in the fold.”
Having Jon Sumrall back for at least one more season is certainly encouraging and a huge relief for the program. They have won at least nine games in three straight seasons, another impressive feat.
Ending the campaign on a three-game losing streak would be a sour finish. But he has been able to pick right up where Willie Fritz left off, as Tulane has cemented its status as one of the top Group of 5 teams in the nation.
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.