Defending their American Athletic Conference Championship in 2023, the Tulane Green Wave have their work cut out for them with some new arrivals. However, after taking it to now-Power Five opponents last year, the Tulane season predictions look bright for Willie Fritz and Co. in 2023.
Tulane Season Predictions: Predicting the Game-By-Game Results
Using groupthink, College Football Network analysts have painstakingly gone through every game for every team in the American Athletic Conference and across the country.
Find Every AAC Season Prediction per team: Charlotte | ECU | FAU | Memphis | Navy | North Texas | Rice | SMU | Temple | Tulane | Tulsa | UAB | USF | UTSA
Picking these games straight up with a projected score using the rosters as up-to-date as the last spring practice, how do the Tulane predictions look for 2023?
Week 1 – Tulane vs. South Alabama: Win, 27-23
A marquee matchup to start the 2023 season, South Alabama comes to town to face Tulane. More than battling it out for Mardi Gras supremacy, these two teams are the current favorites to win their respective conferences from the College Football Network predictions.
South Alabama turned the corner and brings a sustainable level of play with their talented offense and limiting defense. However, Tulane’s sum of parts returning is made greater by top-10 quarterback in our national rankings: Michael Pratt.
The Green Wave can do just enough to limit South Alabama’s offensive onslaught in this one and assert their dominance over the Group of Five in the process.
*Of note, this is the only game we predict South Alabama loses in 2023.
MORE: Sun Belt season predictions
Week 2 – Tulane vs. Ole Miss: Loss, 28-33
A tough two-game slate to open the season reaches its fever pitch with Ole Miss coming to town in Week 2. The Rebels brought in a ton of talent in the transfer portal and have a week to situate their quarterback ahead of this game.
When it all comes to a boil, however, Ole Miss’ roster is deeper and a bit more talented than Tulane’s roster. This one should be close but, ultimately, give a slight advantage to the SEC foe.
Week 3 – Tulane vs. Southern Miss: Win, 34-15
Revenge for last season, the Green Wave put it on Southern Miss in the Bayou this time around. After a dreadful performance against the Golden Eagles last season, the final result of their historic 2022 campaign indicated it was a complete anomaly for Tulane to drop their meeting with Southern Miss last year.
As such, the Green Wave prove they are better than the unit they fielded last season and Coach Fritz and Co. don’t let this one go without proving something to themselves and everyone nationally.
Week 4 – Tulane vs. Nicholls: Win, 42-10
Ahead of AAC play, the Green Wave get a reprieve when Nicholls comes over. In an ideal world, this game is out of hand in the first half, and the starters for Tulane get a bit of a break themselves as well. Install the offense, run the scripted portion of the game plan, and get out of Yulman without injury.
Week 5 – Tulane vs. UAB: 33-20
UAB is set to be a unique team to follow in 2023. Trent Dilfer is the new head coach after some terrific success at the high school level, but how will the Blazers respond in this ever-changing world of college football under his tutelage?
Tulane is the shining example of how to build a program correctly in today’s world, and their depth — mainly on the offensive and defensive lines — should pay dividends in this game.
Week 7 – Tulane @ Memphis: Win, 29-21
A tough one in Memphis arrives after a perfectly-timed bye week. Tulane faces the Tigers and their terrific quarterback Seth Henigan. However, the advantage rests squarely on the Green Wave’s shoulders through their secondary.
Despite some losses in the transfer portal, Tulane’s size, length, tenacity, and multiple schemes they put forth in coverage should be enough to limit Henigan and the Tigers.
Week 8 – Tulane vs. North Texas: Win, 33-25
North Texas is a different team in 2023 than we’ve become accustomed to. They’re rushing attack should be a dominant unit and one that headlines their meetings with most teams in 2023.
Tulane’s ability and size around the line of scrimmage on defense is enough to give them an advantage here. Pratt gives them an even bigger advantage as his ability to torch defenses to every level should be on display against their depleted secondary.
Week 9 – Tulane @ Rice: Win, 26-9
Rice enters the picture in Week 9 with JT Daniels at quarterback and a slew of talented players on offense. However, it’s a matter of just how many times the offense will see the field for Rice in this meeting, as Tulane can play keep away with their offensive prowess.
Ultimately, what Rice is set to do well in 2023 should be able to be limited by Tulane’s strengths on defense: Stop the run and limit big pass catchers on the outside.
Week 10 – Tulane @ ECU: Win, 32-18
Get ready for a new-look ECU team in the new-look AAC as Holton Ahlers leaves a legacy behind him for the Pirates. By this time for ECU, however, they should have their answer at the quarterback position and their multiple plans of attack on offense and defense should be enough to make it competitive against Tulane.
The Green Wave, however, are a deeper unit with the secondary players to stop the Pirates’ attack under Mike Houston.
Week 11 – Tulane vs. Tulsa: Win, 30-19
Tulsa comes to town in a potential trap game for the Green Wave. Braylon Braxton at quarterback presents a set of issues for any defense going toe-to-toe with Tulsa in 2023, but the speed Tulane possesses on the edge should help to limit them on offense.
Tulane must avoid the proverbial slip-up in this game because they are clearly the better team in every facet.
Week 12 – Tulane @ FAU: Win, 28-13
While FAU did a lot in the transfer portal to warrant some interesting looks this offseason, no move was as important as their acquisition of Casey Thompson at quarterback. How he fares, however, with a relatively depleted roster that has no defensive prowess is their biggest question entering the year.
By Week 12, FAU should certainly have answers to their major questions, but their lack of roster depth should also rear its ugly head. Tulane wins, as long as they keep their head in the game and not on the big one to close out the regular season.
Week 13 – Tulane vs. UTSA: Win, 31-30
This has the potential to be the biggest game of the season — and not just in the AAC, but perhaps in the Group of Five or even nationally. Tulane is the defending champs and UTSA is the heavy favorite to be the second-best, if not the best, team in the conference this season.
This regular-season matchup may lead us to the AAC Championship Game featuring these two teams as well as both are heavy favorites to enter this meeting at 10-1.
Give Tulane the home-field advantage as the only reason they’re favored right now, as this is as “pick-em” as they get at this stage. Sit back and watch greatness unfold when these two powers meet.
