Tulane’s Conference Race Narrows Down During Critical Week of Action
Tulane’s 24-10 win over Rice wasn’t easy. It came down to the fourth quarter, but the Green Wave were able to separate themselves with — what else — big plays.
The defense came through in the clutch. Running back Makhi Hughes rushed for 140 yards. Quarterback Darian Mensah threw for 152 yards.
Tulane (5-2, 3-0 in American) remained in a tie for the league in the conference standings. But not everyone was so lucky.
Navy rolled past Charlotte, 45-28. The Midshipmen (6-0, 4-0) damaged the 49ers’ hopes of reaching the AAC title game. Charlotte (3-4, 2-1) suffered its first league loss and still has five conference games remaining.
So the 49ers will need a little help. Tulane will get its shot at the Midshipmen later this year in a game set to be played in Annapolis. On each team’s current trajectory, that could determine one of the spots in the American Athletic Conference title game.
The biggest game on Saturday from Tulane’s perspective featured its next opponent, North Texas. The Mean Green were on the road at Memphis, which already has a conference loss. UNT (5-2, 2-1) hadn’t lost a league game to that point and were locked in a tight, high-scoring duel with the Tigers (6-1, 2-1) until they fell, 52-44, in a wild finish.
The road ahead is becoming clearer for the Green Wave and it’s nearly as difficult as it looked a week ago, though Tulane continues to control its own destiny.
Tulane faces the Mean Green next week in Denton and they’ll be smarting from that loss to the Tigers. After that, Tulane must go to Charlotte on five days’ rest and try to beat the 49ers.
After that, the Green Wave has to handle Temple to set up a big finish at Navy and then at home against Memphis. The race is by no means over, but the hurdles the Green Wave needs to clear are narrowing a bit.
One thing didn’t change on Saturday — the service academies kept rolling. Navy, ranked No. 25 in the country, rolled. So did No. 22 Army West Point, which was at home and defeated East Carolina, 45-28.
The Black Knights (7-0, 6-0 in American) remain one of the few teams in FBS that haven’t trailed in a game this season.
Army also has a huge advantage over the rest of the conference in that it’s already played six league games. The Black Knights may not remain undefeated overall, but an undefeated AAC ledger isn’t out of the question.
Army and Navy have a unique arrangement with the conference. Their annual rivalry game is not a league showdown. So, conceivably, Army and Navy could go undefeated in conference, play one another in the league title game at a home site and then play their annual neutral site rivalry game the following weekend.
