Tulane Green Wave (9-3) vs. Florida Gators (7-5)
December 20, 2024 3:30 pm EDT
The Line: Florida Gators -13.5 / Tulane Green Wave +13.5; Over/Under: +49.5
(Get latest betting odds)
In this article we will formulate a Florida vs Tulane prediction for this College Football game on Friday, December 20th at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Let’s take a look at the prediction for the Gasparilla Bowl.
Florida Gators Betting Preview
The Florida Gators are 7-5 (4-4) this year and they finished 10th in the SEC standings. Florida finished the regular season with a 31-11 win over Florida State in their annual rivalry game. Florida also has wins over Ole Miss, LSU, Kentucky, UCF, Mississippi State, and Samford this year. The Gators do have five losses against Miami, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Georgia, and Texas, but they have won three games in a row coming into this game.
The Florida offense has scored 28.4 points per game with 219.1 passing yards and 156 rushing yards per game, while the defense has allowed 24.3 points against per game this season. DJ Lagway has completed 59.2% of his passes for 1,610 yards, 11 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, while Jadan Baugh has rushed for 603 yards and seven scores this year. Florida does have quite a few injuries on their defense, but they don’t have much production in the transfer portal (as of right now).
Tulane Green Wave Betting Preview
The Tulane Green Wave are 9-4 (7-1) this season and they finished second in the AAC standings. Tulane did make the conference championship game, but they lost to Army by a score of 35-14. Tulane has nine wins against Navy, Temple, Charlotte, North Texas, Rice, UAB, South Florida, Louisiana, and SELA. The Green Wave has four losses against Kansas State, Oklahoma, Memphis, and Army. Tulane did end the season with two losses to Memphis and Army, but they did win the previous eight games.
The Tulane offense has scored 37.2 points per game with 215.8 passing yards and 205.4 rushing yards per game, while the defense has allowed 19.7 points against per game this season. Tulane’s starting quarterback, Darian Mensah, transferred to Duke, so he will not be playing in this game. The Green Wave’s second and third string quarterback are also in the portal, but Ty Thompson plans to play in the bowl game.
Why Florida will beat Tulane
- Florida has won each of its last four games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Tulane has lost four of its last five games in December.
- Florida has covered the spread in eight of its last nine games.
- Tulane has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five games in December.
- Florida has won the first quarter in four of its last five games against opponents from the American Athletic Conference.
- Florida has won the first half in six of its last seven games against non-conference opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Tulane’s last four games against non-conference opponents at neutral venues have gone OVER the total points line.
- Five of Florida’s last six games against non-conference opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.
Matchup/League Facts
- Florida ranks 14th among FBS teams for red zone percentage against this season (73.7).
- Florida ranks 15th among FBS teams for average point differential in fourth quarters this season (+4.5).
- Tulane ranks 2nd among FBS teams for 3rd down conversion percentage this season (52.2).
- Tulane ranks 6th among FBS teams for H2 points per game this season (18.5).
Florida vs Tulane Prediction
Florida comes into this matchup with plenty of momentum and they are looking to end the season with a fourth straight win here. The Gators played a very difficult schedule this year, but they were able to pick up wins against LSU and Ole Miss in two of their last three games. Tulane had a great season in the AAC, but they are missing their starting quarterback and the transfer portal has really hurt them coming into this matchup. Florida has much more talent than Tulane does, so the only question is if the Gators will care about this bowl game. I do think we will see a good effort in this game from Florida, as they have a ton of momentum right now and finishing this schedule with eight wins would be a big positive. Take the Gators to win big.
