What Would it Take for Tulane to be Ranked After Week One?
Tulane football's 52-0 victory over Southeastern Louisiana was as dominant as Tulane fans could have hoped for in terms of the AP Poll. So what has to happen the rest of the weekend for Tulane to be ranked? I’ve done the work so that you don’t have to. Here’s the recipe.
Based on the voting heading into the season, Tulane would be ranked 38th in the country if the AP Poll went that far. Before discussing the 12 unranked opponents Tulane is currently behind, let’s start with the ranked matchups. For realism's sake, I assume every double-digit favorite will win this weekend. Of course it would help Tulane if Ohio State lost to Akron, but that will almost certainly not happen.
First is arguably the game of the week, No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 14 Clemson. If Georgia were to lose this game, they would likely remain ranked ahead of Tulane. The only way for Tulane to jump one of these teams is if Clemson were to lose, preferably by double digits. Given that Georgia is favored by 12.5, this is entirely possible.
The next important game is No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 20 Texas A&M. Given that both teams are ranked, we again want the lower ranked team to lose, Texas A&M. If Notre Dame loses, they could still be ranked ahead of Tulane, but if Texas A&M loses, they should fall out of the top 25.
No. 8 Penn State takes on unranked West Virginia this weekend. In most cases where a ranked team plays an unranked opponent, Tulane fans should cheer for the upset, but not in this case. Because West Virginia is one of the twelve unranked teams still ahead of Tulane, Tulane needs them to lose. If West Virginia upsets Penn State, both teams may remain ranked ahead of Tulane, but if Penn State takes care of West Virginia, Tulane will jump the Mountaineers.
No. 17 Oklahoma State is favored against unranked South Dakota State by 9.5 points. If South Dakota State pulls off the upset, Tulane will jump Oklahoma State.
Unranked Florida against No. 19 Miami is a tricky one. Regardless of the victor, both teams may remain ahead of Tulane. Tulane needs one of the two teams to lose by a significant margin, allowing Tulane to jump the loser.
The last ranked matchup for Tulane fans to monitor is No. 13 LSU vs No. 23 USC. While many Tulane fans will cheer against an in-state rival, it would be best for Tulane for LSU to handle USC so Tulane can jump the Trojans.
Of course, No. 10 Florida State takes on unranked Boston College, but after losing to Georgia Tech last week, Tulane could jump Florida State even with a victory as long as Boston College keeps the game within single digits.
In addition to the 25 teams currently ranked, Tulane is behind Louisville, Virginia Tech, Boise State, SMU, Iowa State, Liberty, Washington, West Virginia, Memphis, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and UTSA. Because of how dominant Tulane was against Southeastern Louisiana, they can jump many of these teams even if they win. If a team from this list blows out their opponent, Tulane will likely stay behind them, but for every team from this list that plays a close game, Tulane jumps a spot.
For Tulane to be ranked, they need to jump 13 teams ahead of them. That means just thirteen of the nineteen scenarios outlined need to happen, whether it’s a ranked team losing or an unranked team ahead of Tulane playing a slightly closer game than expected. Is it likely that Tulane will be ranked after this week? No. But is it possible? Absolutely.
