Tulane's Non-Conference Schedule Could Lay Path to College Football Playoff

There are several schools of thought on the best way to climb the AP Poll and College Football Playoff rankings as a Group of Five program.

The non-conference schedule has started to take on a spotlight as it allows those schools to separate from competition should they pull off an elusive win.

However, more than one difficult game out of those four risks a poor record, and many elect to only keep it to just one as a result.

More News: Important Tulane Football Conference Opponent Not Likely to Join Pac-12

The Tulane Green Wave football team did the opposite last season with two matchups against the Kansas State Wildcats and Oklahoma Sooners.

Unfortunately, the Green Wave lost both contests. If they’d managed to win one of them, the trajectory of their season could have been entirely different.

They spent most of the 2024 season trying to catch the Boise State Broncos in the rankings, to no avail.

The Broncos never lost the top Group of 5 College Football Playoff slot, so it ultimately never mattered.

But it is fair to wonder if that would’ve been the case with a Power Four win by Tulane over a Power Four loss by Boise State to the Oregon Ducks.

More News: Tulane Green Wave Penultimate Match Up Will Require Stopping Run

It was a close loss by the Broncos to a team that headed for the playoffs, but so was the Green Wave’s loss to the Wildcats.

The difference for Boise State is that it was their only loss of the year. That’s the risk of challenging non-conference games.

The reward of a win, however, is something Tulane fans can remember from the 2022 Cotton Bowl season, where they beat Kansas State, and the nation began to take notice.

That type of momentum can’t happen without formidable opponents.

More News: Tulane Coach Jon Sumrall Gets Candid About Biggest Challenge in College Football

In a perfect world, two Power Four games in non-conference play are probably ideal, and the Green Wave were probably better off with last year’s slate that featured those two, one Group of Five, and one FCS opponent.

With three on the slate and one G5 team, that’s a tougher hill to climb.

Tulane seems to stand alone in the Group of Five as the team willing to take that road. Each team that was in contention for that CFB slot last season will only face one Power Four team next season.

The Broncos will play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the UNLV Rebels will play the UCLA Bruins, the Memphis Tigers will play the Arkansas Razorbacks, and the Army Black Knights will play the Wildcats.

More News: An Early Breakdown of Tulane Green Wave's Rematch with Army Black Knights

Those teams are all searching for that singular victory—or a close loss, as the Broncos displayed last season.

The Green Wave are taking on the Northwestern Wildcats, Duke Blue Devils, and Ole Miss Rebels.

Unfortunately, they’ll likely have to pull off two wins of those three to gain real traction on the season, though there’s a path where one victory over the Rebels could do it.

Conference play will color their trajectory for next season, but if Tulane wants to head to the College Football Playoff, it starts in the first four weeks of the season.

For more Tulane news, head over to Tulane Green Wave On SI.