The Northwestern Wildcats and Tulane Green Wave meet Saturday in college football action at Yulman Stadium. Here’s a Tulane vs Northwestern Prediction. This article will include a Tulane vs Northwestern Pick.
Northwestern Wildcats Betting Preview
The Northwestern Wildcats won four games last season and enter the third year under coach David Braun. Northwestern has missed a bowl game in four of its last six seasons.
SMU transfer Preston Stone is the new quarterback, and he has 4,000 passing yards and 35 touchdowns under his belt. Cam Porter returns after leading Northwestern with 501 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns, while South Dakota State star receiver Griffin Wilde comes over to be the leader on the outside. Northwestern should also have a decent offensive line with NFL prospect Caleb Tiernan locking down his side and Xavior Gray transferring from Liberty.
Defensively, Mac Uihlein returns after leading Northwestern with 84 tackles and 2 sacks, while Robert Fitzgerald had 46 tackles and 1 interception. Damon Walters had 42 tackles and 2 pass deflections, and Braden Turner had 37 tackles and 2 pass deflections. Aidan Hubbard has a combined 12 sacks in his last two seasons as well.
Northwestern has taken a back seat these last few seasons, but this roster has potential and could make for a dark horse in the Big Ten.
Tulane Green Wave Betting Preview
The Tulane Green Wave have won nine or more games in each of the last three seasons and enters the second year under coach Jon Sumrall. Tulane has made a bowl game in six of the last seven seasons.
Jake Retzlaff comes over from BYU and has 3,600 yards and 23 passing touchdowns on his resume. Arnold Barnes will get the bulk of the carries after averaging 4.6 yards per carry, while Shadre Hurst and Derrick Graham are considered two of the best offensive linemen in the AAC. Tulane lost a lot at receiver, but the foundation of this offense is in place.
Defensively, Sam Howard returns after 63 tackles and 2.5 sacks, while Bailey Despanie had 53 tackles and 2 pass deflections. Jack Tchienchou had 50 tackles and 1 interception, while Kevin Adams III had 40 tackles and 1 interception. Santana Hopper is also arguably the best defensive lineman in the AAC.
Tulane has been a consistent contender in the American, and this year won’t be any different.
Why the Tulane Green Wave will win
- Tulane has won 14 of its last 15 games against non-AP-ranked teams at Yulman Stadium.
- Northwestern has lost each of its last four road openers.
- Tulane has covered the spread in eight of its last nine season openers.
- Northwestern has failed to cover the spread in five of its last six road openers.
- Tulane has won the first quarter in seven of its last eight games against non-conference opponents at Yulman Stadium.
- Tulane has won the first half in each of its last eight games against non-conference opponents at Yulman Stadium.
Why the Northwestern Wildcats will win
- Northwestern has won four of its last five games against non-conference opponents.
- Tulane has lost each of its last three games.
- Tulane has failed to cover the spread in each of its last three games.
- Northwestern has covered the spread in each of its last three August games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Northwestern has won the first half in four of its last five games against non-conference opponents.
Tulane Green Wave Player Prop Facts
- Maurice Westmoreland led the Conference USA for sacks (8.0) last season.
Northwestern Wildcats Player Prop Facts
- Cam Porter led Northwestern for touchdowns (6) last season.
Tulane vs Northwestern Prediction
You can make a case for Northwestern and the free touchdown, as there’s talent on both sides of the ball, and this should be a bounce back season. However, a lot of Northwestern’s players are transfers and with so many new faces it could take time to really get rolling.
Tulane is loaded on both sides of the ball with less question marks, and I believe this is a team that’s eager to make a statement to the rest of the AAC. Tulane is a good football team that will be worth watching as it makes a case for a top-25 in due time. I’ll lay the reasonable number with the Green Wave.