Thursday night College football and we will see the Tulane Green Wave travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma to take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. The game has a start time of 8:00 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on CBSSN. Current Vegas odds have Tulsa listed as 6.5 point favorites, while the total is set at 46.5.
Analysis: Last year the Tulane Green Wave halted a streak of 11 straight seasons without a bowl bid by going 7-6 on the year. They lost to Louisiana in the New Orleans bowl to end the year. The offense for Tulane was not indicative of a team that won 7 games as they finished ranked 115th in the nation in total offense. It looks as if rFr QB Tanner Lee will get a chance to run the offense after an impressive spring. He does have back 4 of their 5 top rushers from a year ago and 7 of their top 8 pass catchers back as well. The defense is what really got this team to 7 wins last year, as they allowed just 21.4 ppg and 351 ypg. Despite the fact that they have 6 starters and 22 lettermen back from last year, they also have just 3 of their top 9 tacklers back, which could mean a step back for this defense this year. The secondary is the strength of this unit, but most of the DL and LB corps must be rebuilt and will struggle some.
In 2012 the Tulsa Golden Hurricane went 11-3 on the year, won the Conf USA Title and had a Liberty Bowl win. Last year it all came crashing down as they went just 3-9 during their final year of Conf USA play. Tulsa is a team that is used to putting up big offensive numbers, but last year this team was able to put up just 21.8 ppg. This year they lose QB Cody Green and have just 5 starters back overall on the offensive side of the ball. Dane Evans got some experience last year at QB and looks to have the job for this year. The RB position will be led by JC transfer Tavarreon Dickerson, but the WR corps is thin with just 1 player back that caught more than 12 passes last year. The OL is deep and experienced and will clearly be the strength of this unit. Last year the defense retuned just 2 starters and they struggled, allowing 33.9. ppg on the year. This year they have 10 starters back so they should be a much improved group. This defense will be led by an outstanding secondary, which includes Demarco Nelson, who sat out last year and SS Michael Mudoh, who was the team’s leading tackler last year with 133.
Pick: I can see this as a rather low scoring game. Neither team will be all that explosive on offense this year while Tulane has a very tough defense and the Tulsa defense should be much improved over last year with 10 starters back. This is a big rivalry game for both team and while it may not have the 14-7 final that last year’s game had, it should still be played in the 30’s at best.
Get Scott Spreitzers CFB THURSDAY NIGHT KNOCKOUT!!! For Free- No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for Football Season with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore!
College Football Free Picks: Texas A&M vs South Carolina Betting
What college football bettors need to know about betting Texas A&M Aggies vs South Carolina Gamecocks on Thursday (8/28/14) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Bryan Leonard with added insight from Brady Kannon.