This could be the biggest home game at Tulane in a generation (or two).
For the first time since 1949, a ranked Green Wave team (No. 17 in the latest College Football Playoff ranking) will host another ranked team - No. 22 UCF.
Inexplicably, ESPN chose another venue (Texas) for College GameDay but Saturday will still be a special day in New Orleans.
For our preview, we caught up with Guerry Smith of the TheWaveReport.com (Rivals) who also doubles as the Tulane beat writer for NOLA.com (combined website of The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate newspapers).
Smith, who has covered Tulane full time for nearly a decade, says this is clearly their best season since the undefeated year in 1998 with head coach Tommy Bowden and quarterback Shaun King. 1998 was also Tulane's last conference championship. They've never appeared in a Conference USA or American Athletic Conference Championship Game.
Early on, we talk about the big turnaround for the Green Wave under Willie Fritz, who has led the program since 2016.
The 2021 team was faced with early adversity when Hurricane Ida forced relocation to Birmingham. They had to spend nearly a month in Alabama under less-than-ideal conditions. They nearly upset Oklahoma in the season opener (a game that was originally scheduled for New Orleans until the hurricane forced a venue change to Norman), but the wheels fell off after that. The Green Wave ended the season with a 2-10 record.
Despite the disappointing showing, Tulane brought back virtually their entire roster and also loaded up on key transfer portal additions. Quarterback Michael Pratt has taken a big step forward to become one of the better quarterbacks in the AAC. Running back Tyjae Spears is one of the best players in the league. He's coming off a trio of 125-yard-plus rushing games.
Defensively, Tulane has a No. 1 AAC ranking in both scoring defense (16.9 ppg) and total defense (307.3 ypg). That unit is led by a pair of experienced linebackers in Dorian Williams and Nick Anderson.
This year's Tulane team is 8-1, which includes a non-conference 17-10 win at Kansas State and a perfect 5-0 mark in the AAC. They do have three of their toughest conference games in this final stretch between UCF, SMU and Cincinnati.
The one blemish on the schedule is a 27-24 non-conference loss to Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles are coached by former Tulane offensive coordinator Will Hall.
There is optimism this game could be nearing sellout status. Yulman Stadium opened on the Tulane campus in 2014. The Green Wave had been playing their home games at the oversized Superdome since the mid-1970s.
Lastly, Smith gave his sleeper pick for a New Orleans food recommendation. He likes Parkway Bakery and Tavern and specifically their po-boys.
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