It’s spooky season, and on Halloween, things don’t get any scarier than facing a rampant Tulane Green Wave team who are hell-bent on reaching the College Football Playoff. That’s the task facing the Charlotte 49ers in Week 10, who will be looking to provide a bump in the night for Jon Sumrall’s team.
Our Tulane vs. Charlotte prediction covers everything you need to know, from the latest betting odds to both teams’ outlooks as they head into the final stretch of the 2024 college football season.
Tulane vs. Charlotte Betting Preview
All Tulane vs. Charlotte odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are correct as of Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. The CFN Spread comes from College Football Network’s Football Playoff Meter.
- CFN FPM Spread
Tulane -12.5 - Spread
Tulane -16.5 - Moneyline
Tulane -800, Charlotte +550 - Over/Under
55.5 points - Game Time
7:30 p.m. ET - Location
Jerry Richardson Stadium | Clemson, SC - Predicted Weather at Kick
68 degrees, partly cloudy, 4 mph winds - How To Watch
ESPN
Charlotte has been an FBS program for just 10 years, and after avoiding the Green Wave in their first year of play in the AAC, this marks the first-ever matchup between the two teams as FBS programs. The 49ers enter the game with a 3-5 record, while Tulane has been on a tear of late, winning five straight and holding an undefeated conference record after four encounters.
MORE: Simulate the College Football Season with CFN’s College Football Playoff Predictor
The Green Wave currently has one of the best records against the spread in the nation, going 6-2 ATS while covering in all but one game when favored. They also haven’t lost a game as a moneyline favorite this season, as they are in the latest Charlotte vs. Tulane odds. The 49ers covered a similar spread against Memphis but were soundly beaten as a double-digit underdog against the Indiana Hoosiers and Navy Midhsipmen.
Tulane’s Winning Probability
According to the CFN FPM, Tulane has an 82.6% chance of beating Charlotte on Thursday night. Our metric has been in lockstep with the Green Wave this fall, projecting their defeats to the Kansas State Wildcats and Oklahoma Sooners.
Here are the remaining win probabilities for the Green Wave in the 2024 season:
- at Charlotte: 82.6%
- vs. Temple: 92.1%
- at Navy: 60.9%
- vs. Memphis: 55.6%
If those win probabilities were to hold true, Tulane would end the year with a 10-2 record. Furthermore, they would go undefeated in conference play, booking a spot in the AAC Championship Game.
Charlotte’s Winning Probability
Conversely, the CFN FPM gives Charlotte a 17.4% chance to win on Thursday night. The 49ers have overcome our metric’s projections once this season, when they beat the Rice Owls. Can they defy the odds once again in Week 10?
The remaining win probabilities for the 49ers in the 2024 season are below:
- vs. Tulane: 17.4%
- vs. USF: 34.9%
- at Florida Atlantic: 49.6%
- vs. UAB: 66.9%
If those win probabilities were to hold true, Charlotte would end the season with a 4-8 record. That would be a one-game improvement on their first season in the conference. Additionally, the game against the Florida Atlantic Owls is essentially a coin-flip game that could take the 49ers to 5-8.
Prediction for Tulane vs. Charlotte
People seemingly forgot about Tulane after the Green Wave lost two close road games to Kansas State and Oklahoma, both influenced by late turnovers.
That Green Wave team is certainly not the same as the one today. This Green Wave team has scored 40 points in four of its last five and has put just about ever game away by the end of the third quarter.
Charlotte has been streaky, struggling early before playing better in recent weeks, aside from an ugly 51-17 loss to Navy. The 49ers are holding their own against similarly talented teams and punching up against a few of the AAC’s best.
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Unfortunately for Charlotte, Tulane looks like the cream of the AAC crop. Despite one of the hardest Group of Five non-conference schedules, the Green Wave emerged 2-2 and ready for the AAC slate. That served them well as Sumrall let Darian Mensah struggle early to prepare himself for the conference slate.
Mensah has been exceptional, with eight touchdowns and just one interception in his last four games. But even then, its been running back Makhi Hughes who has been the star. Hughes has run for 115 yards in four of his last five games, scoring nine touchdowns in that span.
That concerns me for a Charlotte defense that has struggled when its opponents have been able to consistently run the ball. If Tulane jumps out early, the Green Wave will control the tempo and make the 49ers press.
Though the 49ers have covered in three of their last four, I like the Green Wave to stretch the lead early and make Charlotte chase the game, something the 49ers have really struggled to do.
Expect another Tulane blowout that ticks over, as that has hit in 11 of 16 games this season for the teams.
Prediction: Tulane 41, Charlotte 20
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