Tulane Looks to Put Capper On Amazing Turnaround
It is a fair question to wonder how much this game means to USC. The Trojans would have been one of the four teams in the College Football Playoff field if they took care of business against Utah in the Pac-12 title game. The loss to the Utes ended the Trojans’ national title hopes.
Tulane went from winning two games last season to winning the American Athletic Conference title in 2022.
It will be nearly all hands on deck for the Green Wave. Tulane will be without receiver Dea Dea McDougle (23 catches in 10 games) as McDougle is in the transfer portal.
It is a different story from USC. Receiver Jordan Addison and offensive linemen Brett Neilon and Andrew Vorhees won’t play. Linebacker Ralen Goforth has transferred to Washington.
This is USC’s second appearance in the Cotton Bowl as the Trojans lost 24-7 to Ohio State in 2017. Tulane is playing in the Cotton Bowl for the first time. Tulane has won four of its last six bowl games and covered in each of those victories. USC has failed to cover in each of its last five bowl appearances.
The line opened with USC favored by one point and moved to the Trojans being a two-point favorite. Keep an eye on any news surrounding Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams and his tender hamstring because if he is limited at all, that could impact the line.
Southern California finished 10th in the College Football Playoff rankings while Tulane ended up 16th. The Trojans were eighth in both the Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association polls while Tulane came in 14th and 17th in the national polls.
Let’s check the latest college football odds, stats, injury reports, and college football lines for the Cotton Bowl. We’ve plenty of NCAA football odds for you to consider.
Green Wave Look To Make a Splash
Tulane’s tackle for loss-and sack numbers dropped from a season ago. However, with the American Athletic Conference title on the line, the Green Wave were at its disruptive best. The six sacks were the most by a Tulane defense since 2018. Tulane also had nine tackles for loss.
The Green Wave will be looking for more of the same against a USC team that allowed the ninth most sacks among Pac-12 teams. It is interesting that the Trojans surrendered just one sack in the two losses to Utah and in the four games when they gave up five sacks, USC won by an average of 18½ points.
Darius Hodges was unable to repeat his numbers from a brilliant freshman season when he had 16½ tackles for loss. He still tied for the team lead with five sacks in 2022.
The Las Vegas odds total has gone over in six of Tulane’s last seven games.
USC’s Offense To Be Missing Key Contributors
When the season started, the USC offense figured to be led by a trio of high-profile transfers. Quarterback Caleb Williams followed head coach Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma, running back Travis Dye transferred in from Pac-12 rival Oregon and receiver Jordan Addison was the winner of the Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver in the country while playing for ACC champion Pittsburgh.
Only Williams is expected to play in the bowl game and there were rumblings that the Heisman Trophy winner would skip the game as well.
Williams declared that he will play as long as his troublesome hamstring allows him to do so.
There have been promising reports on receiver Michael Jackson. He missed the first five games of the season and then was out in the Pac-12 title game. A healthy Jackson could factor prominently into the USC offensive game plan.
Michael Jackson III seems to be moving well. He didn’t play in the Pac-12 title game but #USC could use him in the Cotton Bowl especially with no Jordan Addison https://t.co/czG7Toz45y
— Antonio Morales (@AntonioCMorales) December 29, 2022
The offense wasn’t the issue for USC this season as the Trojans rank third nationally with an average of 41.1 points per game. The defense ranked 82nd in scoring defense, allowing 27.9 points per game.
The college football odds total has gone over in each of USC’s last seven games.
Tulane vs Southern California Game Injuries
Tulane vs Southern California Head-to-Head
The teams played three times from 1932-1946 but haven’t met since. The Trojans won two of the three previous meetings.
Tulane vs Southern California Game Information
- Game: Tulane (11-2) vs USC (11-2)
- When: Monday, Jan. 2, 1 p.m. ET
- Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
- Tulane vs USC Live Stream: ESPN
Tulane vs Southern California Betting Lines
Tulane vs Southern California Prediction
Tulane is going to try to slow things with its running game because trying to match touchdown for a touchdown with USC could be a risky proposition.
A key for USC on offense has been the ability to finish drives. The Trojans have scored on 85% of their drives reaching the red zone and 75% of those resulted in touchdowns. For Tulane, 43 of 63 red-zone drives ended in touchdowns.
Some numbers to consider for those who bet online: Tulane was 5-0 against the spread away from home this season compared to a 3-3 mark by USC.
Ten of USC’s games went over the total so a high-scoring affair should favor the Trojans.
Tulane was one of the toughest teams to score against in the first quarter, allowing 2.31 points per game in the opening quarter. USC was among the top 10 nationally in points per game in the first, third and fourth quarters. However, the Trojans struggled defensively in the fourth quarter, allowing 10 points in that quarter.
The Tulane Green Wave is listed at +105 in our Vegas college football lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the Green Wave, you have a chance to win $105. The Southern California Trojans are -125, offering a chance to win $80 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Tulane a 48.78% chance to win, with USC at 55.56%.
Tulane vs Southern California Trends
Tulane vs Southern California Edge
Tulane vs Southern California Results
Tulane vs Southern California Game Summary
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