Countdown to Kickoff Day 23: #26 Tulane Green Wave

There is a little bit of Dr. Disrespect going on by me with the ranking of today’s team and I will be the first one to admit it. It is not what you are thinking though. I am all for giving the small man a chance at glory, but Tulane is missing a good chunk of what made them great last year.

What a run it was in 2022 though, going 12-2 and finishing #9 in the final AP poll. Exceeding or even meeting the expectations they have for this year are next to impossible though. The Green Wave welcome back star QB and second team All-AAC player in 2022, Michael Pratt. He is a preseason All-AAC member this year and is one of the favorites to win Offensive Player of the Year in the conference. The Tulane faithful will happily welcome back their leader, but they will lose star RB and 2022 AAC offensive player of the year, Tyjae Spears, along with several of their star receivers and linemen.

Willie Fritz did a stellar job during the offseason and taking advantage of the transfer portal, bringing in big talent to try and replace these guys, but the fact of the matter is that this offense will not be the same and it certainly won’t be better than it was in 2022.

Fritz’s squad will also have some voids to fill on the defensive side of the ball. They enter the 2023 season down their top five tacklers and will have a new defensive coordinator, Shiel Wood, after Chris Hampton left for Oregon.

With all that said, Tulane will still be the team to beat in the AAC and a regular season championship will come down to a date with the UTSA Roadrunners in the final week of the season. They will still win 10+ games, all I’m saying is that it will look a little different than last year and we probably won’t see them in a NY6 bowl this year.

How Many Games Will Tulane Win In 2023

• 10 or more
• 9 or less

Prediction: 9-3.