Do The Wave: Tulane a win away from New Year's Six game with win over Cincinnati

No, not that one (although, it can come along for the ride). It's the Green Wave that's making the biggest comeback following a two-win 2021 season. After defeating Cincinnati 27-24 on Friday, Tulane is a win away from a spot in a New Year's Six bowl game as the highest-ranked "Group of Five" team.

Tulane (10-2, 7-1 in AAC) secured a berth in the program's first-ever conference championship game in a come-from-behind win at Cincinnati (9-3, 6-2 in AAC).

The Bearcats took a 24-20 lead on a 15-yard touchdown. It took Tulane four plays to reclaim the lead on a 30-yard touchdown throw from QB Michael Pratt.

The other big star for Tulane was running back Tyjae Spears. He finished with 181 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Head coach Willie Fritz is in his seventh season with the Green Wave and the team has reached heights unseen at Tulane in 24 years. With the team's 10th win of the season, Tulane has its first season of double-digit wins since a magical 1998 season.

That year, Tulane went 12-0 and played in the Liberty Bowl. The program's fallen on hard times since and the resurgence in 2022 is one of the sport's biggest surprises.

Per Athlon Sports, the Green Wave were projected to finish seventh in the American Athletic Conference. Entering championship week, the team will be first in conference.

The team will host next weekend's AAC Championship Game. It's possible Cincinnati makes the trip to New Orleans although it's more likely Tulane will have a chance to avenge its only conference loss this season with a return trip from UCF (8-3, 5-2 in AAC). This Saturday, the Knights play USF (1-10, 0-7 in AAC). Houston (7-4, 5-2) has an outside shot of qualifying for the championship game.