Tulane Green Wave Ranked No. 24, Control Destiny for American Title Race

The Tulane Green Wave have made their mark in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, coming in at No. 24. This ranking, revealed on November 18, positions Tulane as a key contender in the race for the American Conference title as the season approaches its conclusion.

Currently boasting an 8-2 record with a 5-1 mark in the American Conference, Tulane has overtaken South Florida as the highest-ranked team in the conference. As one of the top five conference leaders, they are projected as the No. 12 seed in the current playoff bracket, potentially facing Texas Tech in the opening round.

“The American is a really good conference this year, a really top-heavy conference,” said Hunter Yurachek, chair of the playoff committee, during a media teleconference. He highlighted Tulane”s challenging schedule, which included games against three Power Five schools: Northwestern, Duke, and Ole Miss. Tulane won two of those encounters, along with impressive victories over Memphis and East Carolina, further solidifying their playoff candidacy.

Tulane”s ranking means they now control their destiny towards their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. Notably, they are ranked above the 9-1 Sun Belt favorite James Madison, suggesting that if Tulane wins their remaining games, they will likely secure one of the five highest-ranked conference champions.

Yurachek explained the committee”s reasoning, noting that James Madison”s strength of schedule played a significant role in their lower ranking. “They played one Power Five team and lost that game. Tulane, however, has faced three Power Five teams, and their overall schedule strength is a key factor in their ranking,” he stated.

With their current position, the Green Wave are in a favorable spot to host the American Conference Championship Game if they win out. The title race is competitive, featuring four teams with one loss in conference play: Navy, North Texas, Tulane, and East Carolina. However, the lack of head-to-head matchups among these teams complicates the tiebreaker scenarios.

If Tulane finishes tied with either Navy or North Texas, they would hold the tiebreaker advantage due to their ranking. The conference uses specific tiebreakers that favor ranked teams, so Tulane is poised to secure a championship game berth by maintaining their winning streak.

To solidify their playoff aspirations, Tulane will face 5-5 Temple on November 22, followed by a matchup against 1-9 Charlotte on November 29. Winning both games will likely lead to their fourth consecutive appearance in the American Conference Championship, with Yulman Stadium serving as the venue for what could be their third championship game in four years.

The complete rankings from the committee are as follows: