Tulane +14 (this line could go even higher especially if faves do well the day before)
This play is both, a play against Tulsa and a play on Tulane and here is why. Tulane looked solid last year before losing their RB. They either won as faves or covered as dogs in 5 of their first 6 games. They surprised everyone with their effort at Bama, then they almost won as home dogs vs ECU. Then they won two home games as favorites and almost won at UTEP after their upset loss vs Army. Their defense was surprisingly good early on, but once they lost their star RB they just couldn't move the chains and that resulted in a series of blowout losses to close the season. Well, their RB is back now and the guys who replaced him last season have an extra year of experience now that they had more attempts than expected last season. Their QB from last season wasn't all that bad but he lost the training camp battle to a better QB and that can only be a plus for the team.
Tulsa opens their season with three straight road games with the third one being a trip to Oklahoma. This is a very dangerous schedule for the C-USA powerhouse as they could take their first two games for granted. Tulsa lost their offensive coordinator in the offseason, and that guy was the mastermind of their great offense in previous seasons. When #1 offense loses the offensive coordinator, the starting QB (49 TD passes last year) and the starting RB, the production will suffer no matter what the coaches and players say. The projected starting QB and RB have very little of experience and starting with three road games will not be easy. Tulsa defense had way too many holes last season especially against the pass. Don't expect it to change any time soon.
This play is both, a play against Tulsa and a play on Tulane and here is why. Tulane looked solid last year before losing their RB. They either won as faves or covered as dogs in 5 of their first 6 games. They surprised everyone with their effort at Bama, then they almost won as home dogs vs ECU. Then they won two home games as favorites and almost won at UTEP after their upset loss vs Army. Their defense was surprisingly good early on, but once they lost their star RB they just couldn't move the chains and that resulted in a series of blowout losses to close the season. Well, their RB is back now and the guys who replaced him last season have an extra year of experience now that they had more attempts than expected last season. Their QB from last season wasn't all that bad but he lost the training camp battle to a better QB and that can only be a plus for the team.
Tulsa opens their season with three straight road games with the third one being a trip to Oklahoma. This is a very dangerous schedule for the C-USA powerhouse as they could take their first two games for granted. Tulsa lost their offensive coordinator in the offseason, and that guy was the mastermind of their great offense in previous seasons. When #1 offense loses the offensive coordinator, the starting QB (49 TD passes last year) and the starting RB, the production will suffer no matter what the coaches and players say. The projected starting QB and RB have very little of experience and starting with three road games will not be easy. Tulsa defense had way too many holes last season especially against the pass. Don't expect it to change any time soon.
