Tulane's College Football Playoffs Odds Continue to Rise After Charlotte Win
After winning their sixth straight win, the Tulane Green Wave are in the driver's seat for reaching the College Football Playoffs.
In the first year of the new format, which has been upgraded to 12 teams, Tulane has a great shot of making the single-elimination tournament in its inception season. One of the spots must go to a ‘Group of 5’ school, and the Green Wave sits as one of the top teams in that category with only three games left on their schedule.
After the team’s blowout win against the Charlotte 49ers 34-3 on Halloween night Thursday, the Green Wave had gained even more ground against the rest of the conference to reach the championship game. With two of their remaining three games against conference contenders, Tulane sits in a prime spot to play for the AAC title if they win out the rest of their schedule. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), there is a 41.5 percent in doing so.
The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season. Rating results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.
The team continues to lead the AAC with a 10.2 FPI and is trending upward in the country. The Green Wave now has the 26th-best power index in the country. But it doesn’t stop there. If the team wins its remaining games, especially the final two against the Navy Midshipman and Memphis Tigers, the projections will continue to climb in the right direction.
Tulane is currently a 57.6 percent favorite to not only make it to the title game but also win the AAC championship game. Earning that victory will put them in a prime position to make the playoffs. The FPI currently has them at a 12 percent chance of being one of the 12 teams, which is presently the 22nd-best odds among all teams in college football.
However, only two ‘Group of 5’ teams sit ahead of them. The Army Black Knights are one, and if they continue their run, they will likely face the Green Wave in the AAC championship in their first season in the conference. Army currently has a 20.5 percent chance.
The biggest wildcard for Tulane is if someone can knock off the Boise State Broncos. The 6-1 leader of the Mountain West conference only has one three-point loss on the season and happens to be the top-ranked team in the country, the Oregon Ducks. Boise State may need to fall multiple times before the season’s end for Tulane to jump them, or at least a loss in the Broncos conference championship game.
Regardless of the outcome when the season comes to a conclusion, it has been a delightful start for the Jon Sumrall era in New Orleans. The team will be back in action on November 9th after an extended prep week against the Temple Owls.
