USC and Tulane are set to square off in the Cotton Bowl as the college football bowl schedule gets underway with New Year's Six games kicking off.
Tulane is the Group of Five representative this postseason after defeating UCF to win the AAC Championship Game, booking a date in an NY6 game for the first time since the 1940 Sugar Bowl when it was a member of the SEC.
The Green Wave lost that game to Texas A&M, which claimed the national championship as a result. This time around, Tulane fields a strong defensive unit that allows just under 21 points and 343 yards per game.
USC appeared to be destined for its first College Football Playoff until it dropped a costly decision to Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game, and now there are questions surrounding star quarterback Caleb Williams, whose status for the game is up in the air after sustaining a hamstring injury.
What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.
Cotton Bowl: USC vs. Tulane picks, predictions
USC prediction: The computers are siding with the Trojans to win the game with 57.9 percent likelihood, according to the most recent projections.
Tulane prediction: By contrast, the index is giving the Green Wave a fighting chance, with a 42.1 percent chance to knock off the Trojans.
Point spread: USC comes into the game as narrow 2 point favorites against Tulane, according to the oddsmakers.
Total: 62 points
Moneyline: USC -130 | Tulane +110
Spread consensus pick: USC -2
Score prediction: Team Rankings projects that USC will defeat Tulane by a score of 31.8 to 29.1 and win the Cotton Bowl.
How to watch: The game is set for Mon., Jan. 2 at 1 p.m. Eastern time on the main ESPN network and streams on fuboTV (Try for free).
Going bowling: College football bowl schedule for 2022-23
College Football Power Index
Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.
Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.
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College Football Playoff top 25 rankings
- Georgia
- Michigan
- TCU
- Ohio State
- Alabama
- Tennessee
- Clemson
- Utah
- Kansas State
- USC
- Penn State
- Washington
- Florida State
- Oregon State
- Oregon
- Tulane
- LSU
- UCLA
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Notre Dame
- Mississippi State
- NC State
- Troy
- UTSA
More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | All Teams
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