Tulane is in control of its own destiny when it comes to the American Conference Championship race and the College Football Playoff.
The Green Wave were ranked 24th in the CFP Selection Committee’s latest rankings and were the only Group of Five team to appear in the top 25. That means if they win the rest of their regular season games, they’ll likely appear in the American title game. And if they win there, they’ll probably make it into the CFP.
The Green Wave are 8-2 with an exceptional resume. They have two Power Four wins over Northwestern and Duke, as well as league victories over teams like East Carolina and Memphis. But they also fell in lopsided games against Ole Miss and UTSA.
Because of those losses, they likely can’t afford another one. That includes against Temple, which is 5-5 and 3-3 against American Conference teams and could earn bowl-eligibility this week. The Owls have lost back-to-back contests against ECU and Army. But before that, they won two of three games against UTSA, Charlotte, and Tulsa with a one-point loss against Navy during that time.
Could the Owls bounce back?
Tulane vs. Temple Betting Odds
Temple is a +9.5 college football betting odds underdog against Tulane, with the Over/Under being 54.5 as of this writing. The moneyline for Tulane is -350, while it’s +275 for Temple.
Tulane vs. Temple On TV
The matchup between Tulane and Temple will be televised on ESPNU.
The game will kick off at 3:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 22. The contest is taking place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Tulane vs. Temple Prediction
I predict Tulane will win but Temple will cover the 9.5-point spread. I also project this game will go Under 54.5 total points.
When you look at some of the games Tulane has won, many of them have been close. The Green Wave have undoubtedly battled to get to the point that they’re at. But they haven’t exactly won in blowouts, especially on the road.
Away from home, the Green Wave beat South Alabama 33-31, lost at Ole Miss 45-10, beat Tulsa 31-14, lost at UTSA 48-26, and beat Memphis 38-32. So they’re 3-2 on the road, and only one of those victories was decided by double digits.
Tulane also isn’t necessarily among the best teams on either side of the ball. The Green Wave are ninth in the American in scoring offense (28 points per game) and sixth in scoring defense (26 PPG allowed).
Then again, neither is Temple. The Owls are eighth in scoring offense (29.6 PPG) and sixth in scoring defense (26 PPG allowed). They are fifth in total defense (375.1 yards per game allowed) while Tulane is 12th (412.3 YPG allowed). In total offense, Tulane is seventh (412.6 YPG) while Temple is 11th (361.8 YPG).
I do think Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff and wide receivers Shazz Preston, Bryce Bohanon, and Omari Hayes, as well as defensive back Jack Tchienchou and Bailey Despanie and linebacker Chris Rodgers have been stellar. They are capable of leading Tulane to a win. But I foresee this game being a close matchup.
