Tulane is one of the best teams in the Group of Five right now. But the Green Wave don’t have much room for error if they want to make the College Football Playoff.
The Green Wave started the season 3-0 with two wins over Power Four opponents, Northwestern and Duke. Then they went on the road and lost at Ole Miss 45-10.
A blowout loss like that easily could’ve derailed the season for Tulane. Instead, the Green Wave have responded with yet another three-game winning streak.
But winning these contests hasn’t been easy. The Green Wave beat Tulsa 31-14, but they then defeated East Carolina 26-19 and Army 24-17 – a margin of just one touchdown each. And those games were both at home.
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Now the Green Wave have challenging road games coming up. Before playing at Memphis next week, Tulane is at UTSA tonight.
While Tulane (6-1, 3-0 American Conference) is the No. 2 team in this week’s Group of Five Top 25 Media Poll, the Roadrunners have dropped out of the top 25. UTSA (3-4, 1-2) has lost two of its last three games at Temple and at North Texas but also won at home over Rice.
The Roadrunners will be motivated to prove themselves against a team like Tulane and take a step toward bowl-eligibility.
Tulane vs. UTSA Betting Odds
UTSA is a +5.5 college football betting odds underdog against Tulane, with the Over/Under being 53.5 as of this writing. The moneyline for Tulane is -220, while it’s +180 for UTSA.
Tulane vs. UTSA On TV
The matchup between Tulane and UTSA will be televised on ESPN.
The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 30. The contest is taking place at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Tulane vs. UTSA Prediction
I predict Tulane will win and cover the 5.5-point spread. I also project the game will go Under 53.5 total points.
The Green Wave’s strength has been running the ball and relying on their defense this season. And I believe those elements of their game will show up on the road.
Tulane is third in the American in scoring defense, as the Green Wave allow 22.3 points per game on average. Taking on UTSA, which is fifth in the conference in scoring offense with 32 PPG, won’t be easy, though.
Still, after watching Tulane the past couple of weeks, I don’t think the Green Wave have played at their best in recent weeks. And after a week off, I expect they will come up with a game plan that will stymie the Roadrunners.
On offense, Jake Retzlaff has been a key addition at quarterback for the Green Wave. He’s thrown for 1,428 yards, six touchdowns, and one interception. He also leads the team with 450 yards and eight touchdowns rushing. Javin Gordon has also been important for Tulane’s rushing attack, as he has 309 yards and three TDs on the ground.
At wide receiver, Shazz Preston leads the Green Wave with 314 yards through the air on 20 catches and has scored one receiving TD. Omari Hayes has caught 22 passes for 307 yards, and Bryce Bohanon has a team-high 23 receptions and has recorded 256 yards and one score through the air.
The Roadrunners are absolutely capable of putting up points. But they didn’t score more than 21 in three of their last four games, so I’m doubting their consistency on that side of the ball.
And with defensive backs Jack Tchienchou and Bailey Despanie, linebackers Dickson Agu, Chris Rodgers, and Sam Howard, and defensive lineman Santana Hopper, Tulane has some star power on defense. I expect the Green Wave will have a phenomenal performance on that side of the ball en route to another win.
