Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Champions, in our last year in the conference. What a way to go out.

A few things:
1. Adam Barnes & T.C. Pickens have already crossed 1000 yds rushing. Eric Foreman is 75 yds away from doing the same. It will be the first time in Kaelyn Willingham's coaching career that he has 3 1000-yd rushers in the same season.

2. Tulane is 230 yds away from 5000 yds rushing as a team. That will be the first time in Willingham's coaching career (as well as school history) that that happens.

3. Four defensive players are on pace for 10+ sacks. That will be both team & NCAA records. As a team we have 84 sacks this season.

4. Tulane now has 4 conference championships in school history. 3 of them have come in the last three years. The only other one occurred in 1998, back in Conference USA.

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Senior Day Whiteout

Matchup Preview *|* November 30, 2019
	@
#22 East Carolina Pirates (9-2, 6-2 American)		#3 Tulane Green Wave (11-0, 8-0 American)
Offensive Stats Comparison 33.8 (#15) Points Per Game 52.0 (#1) 406.5 (#44) Total Offensive Yards 576.4 (#1) 286.0 (#3) Rushing Yards 406.4 (#1) 120.4 (#120) Passing Yards 170.0 (#94) Defensive Stats Comparison 332.9 (#17) Total Yards Allowed 361.5 (#44) 161.5 (#22) Rushing Yards Allowed 129.1 (#2) 171.3 (#35) Passing Yards Allowed 232.3 (#107) +7 (#14) Interceptions +6 (#18) Injury Report LT Jason Stephens Bruised shoulder (Probable) NONE OLB Ashton Woods Strained back (Probable) Game Notes We've reached another Senior Day, folks. This year Tulane salutes 11 players who have given their all to this program for the past 4-5 years. It is also a big game for the Wave, as a win would guarantee them a seat at the BCS Table. What exact bowl they will play in remains to be determined. East Carolina is also playing for a lot, as a win would send them to one of the AAC's premiere bowl games (Belk Bowl, Liberty Bowl, Russell Athletic Bowl). The Pirates bring forth a high-powered Flexbone offense, anchored by Heisman contender Mike Mayhew. The junior HB has rushed for over 2000 yds in 11 games, averaging over 200 YPG in that span. He is their workhorse on offense. HC Brian Bohannon has done a good job resurrecting the ECU program in only his first season. Interestingly for Tulane, the Green Wave have gone on a 26-game conference win streak, dating back to the 2017 season. The last AAC team to beat Tulane: East Carolina, back in 2016. This is the last conference game for Tulane as an AAC member, and both teams have many reasons to win today. Oh yeah, College Gameday will be in attendance for pre-game. #RollWave Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA Kickoff: 3:30PM EST Broadcast: ESPN, ABC Kirk Herbstreit picks: TULANE

The following HS recruits will attend this week's game:

DT A.J. Hawkins
3-star, Hammond, LA

CB Ray Carter
3-star, Orangeburg, SC

CB Dennis Williams
3-star, Osawatomie, KS


The following seniors will be recognized before kickoff:

WR Jason Eaton
WR Chris Gandy
OT Carlos Tucker
DT Eddie Cox
OLB Calvin Walker
OLB Nick Rhodes
CB Jason Harper
CB Cedric Hill
FS Claude James
FS Larry Bell
K Zach McGee

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Player Spotlight: Nick Rhodes

November 27, 2019
The Roll Wave Report


One of the lesser-known players on the Green Wave football team is outside linebacker Nick Rhodes. The 5th-year senior has played a backup role for most of his Tulane career. But when he was needed halfway through this season, he stepped up & delivered. Preparing for his final home game in a Tulane uniform, The Roll Wave Report took the opportunity to interview him for a few minutes.

The Roll Wave Report: "Hi ya Nick, how is going?"

Nick Rhodes: "I'm doing fine today, thanks for asking."

TRWR: "Let's look back on your career for a few minutes. Did you think you'd be where you are now?"

Rhodes: "To be honest, not really. I always thought I'd be more of a fixture on the defensive side. I came here thinking I'd play alot, but it hasn't happened."

TRWR: "Do you regret coming to Tulane?"

Rhodes: "Oh absolutely not. I love it here. I love the school, I love the fans. I love these goofballs I get to work with on a daily basis. Wouldn't wanna be anywhere else."

TRWR: "Even if it meant you get to play more?"

Rhodes: "Absolutely. I've learned something in my 4 years here. Sometimes leaders aren't the most well-known people. Sometimes they're the ones in the background. The ones who are seen but not heard. I like to think I'm one of those guys."

When Rhodes signed with the Green Wave out of Lancaster, TX, he wasn't a high-ranked prospect. After spending a year in junior college he declared as a JUCO sophomore to Tulane. He was a 1-star prospect looking for a chance. He red-shirted his first season in New Orleans while learning the defense, but he said the biggest adjustment was living in the city.

Rhodes: "I grew up in a small town right outside Dallas. Despite that, we didn't venture over to the big city much. I'd visit there sometimes but living in a big city was something new entirely."

While adjusting to city life, he also had to juggle tough Tulane academics, as well as dealing with riding the bench. He was a 3-yr starter in high school but didn't get any D-1 offers. He opted for the JUCO route where he was a standout his one year there. Again though, not many offers came his way.

Coach Willingham: "We were the only D-1 school to offer him a scholarship, I think. He got some offers from 1-AA schools but I felt he could play top-level football. Just took him 4 years to show that."

After riding the bench for a season he spent much of the next two years on Special Teams duty. And he was good at it. It was the first time he ever had to be a gunner on a punt unit, but he was damn good at it. Then came this season. The Wave defense struggled early on against LSU, Illinois, Houston & Temple, and Nick Rhodes was thrust into action. His first career start was against South Florida, and boy did he make the most of it.

TRWR: "You first career start was the South Florida game this year. Can you believe that? It took you 3 1/2 years to start a game?"

Rhodes (laughing): "No, sometimes I can't believe it. I'm amazed it took me that long, but I'm thankful for the opportunity."

Rhodes had 4 tackles in the USF game, including a key sack toward the end that preserved the 28-27 victory for Tulane. He would go on to start the next 4 games for the Wave, all defensive masterpieces. In 5 starts this season, he has 20 tackles, 5 TFL, 1.5 sacks & 1 INT. All of those are career highs.

TRWR: "When you step out on that field this Saturday against East Carolina, how do you thing you're gonna feel?"

Rhodes: "To be honest, I don't know. I'll probably be a little emotional, but I don't cry a lot. I'll probably just look back & reflect. On where I've been & how I've come to this point."

As of right now, Rhodes doesn't have huge NFL prospects. But he does hope to do something with himself when he graduates. He has his degree in business already, and is enrolled in the Graduate School. Perhaps he'll run a Fortune 500 one day.

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Onto the BCS!

Wave finish regular season perfect, lock up BCS berth

December 1, 2019
New Orleans Times-Picayune


Then Green Wave won their final AAC conference game on Senior Day yesterday, a 44-20 victory over the East Carolina Pirates. And as the above image suggests, the Wave will be running on their way to the BCS Party. It was a relatively easy win for Tulane, as East Carolina didn't put up an offensive fight until the second half. Before the game started, Tulane recognized its 11 seniors in front of a crowd of 64,000. They also recognized their 6 years in the American Athletic Conference, as the school moves on next year. It was a game of defensive dominance, and offensive supremacy. Though East Carolina made some plays too.

ECU was led by Heisman-contending RB Mike Mayhew. The junior had over 2000 rushing yds coming into the game, and was ECU's workhorse on offense. Unfortunately for him, he ran into the nation's #3 rush defense in New Orleans. The Wave shut down Mayhew consistently throughout the game, holding him to just 56 yards on 11 carries. Keep in mind he came into the game averaging over 200 YPG. QB Brandon Richardson struggled facilitating the Option, as Tulane was in their backfield all game. ECU's Flexbone offense has been a force all season under first-year HC Brian Bohannon, as the Pirates ranked 3rd nationally in rush offense. But the Tulane defense was familiar with the Option, as they have to defend it weekly against their own offense in practice. As a team, East Carolina ran for 104 yds.

One of Mike Mayhew's few good runs in the game. He was held to 56 yds total.

On the flip side, Tulane consistently moved the ball against ECU, as the running game was relatively successful. While 308 rushing yards is fairly low by Green Wave standards, it's still better than most teams ECU played this year. T.C. Pickens kept the chains moving with 76 yds on 16 carries, including a 2nd-Quarter touchdown that made it 17-0 Tulane. Eric Foreman was the beast on the day. When Pickens was knocked out of the game with bruised ribs, Foreman kept the Tulane Offensive rolling. While Adam Barnes wasn't able to get much out of the QB Run in the game, Eric Foreman made up the difference. Consistently getting 4, 5, 6 yards a carry, it allowed Barnes to open up the play-action pass. Defensively Tulane was a force. The Green Wave shut down East Carolina's option attack, forcing them to pass. At times it worked, at times it didn't. When it worked, they averaged nearly 20 yds a completion. When it failed, Cedric Hill was nabbing picks out of the air. The senior CB (one of those recognized before the game) stole passes like a criminal, nabbing 3 INTs on the day. That pushed his season total to 7, one short of tying the school record. As a whole the D forced 6 turnovers (a season high).

Passes weren't getting by Cedric Hill in this game. The senior corner stole 3 balls, upping his theft total to 7.

Things got better for the Pirates, though it came at a cost. Brandon Richardson was knocked out of the game after taking a shot to the chest, and was diagnosed with broken ribs afterwards. He'll miss the next 4 weeks for ECU. Ironically, it's the second straight week for Tulane that an opposing quarterback is knocked out of the game with broken ribs. Joe Jones came in to relief-pitch for the Pirates, and was drastically better than Richardson. He made plays on his feet, and took deep shots in the pass. ECU rallied to 30-13, before Adam Barnes found TE Joe Johnson for a 16-yd TD strike. Joe Jones rallied the troops again before the Pirates committed their 6th mistake of the game. On the ensuing drive, Eric Foreman had arguably the best play of the game. Out of 2-TE Shotgun, Foreman took the handoff, cut inside, shook off 2 tacklers & ran on home. The 43-yd touchdown run made the game 44-13, putting the game out of reach. East Carolina would score once again, but that would be all she wrote.

Coach Willingham: "I'm proud of these guys. Our goal was to win a conference championship & finish 12-0. We did both of those things. Now we're off to the BCS!"

With the win the Green Wave finish the regular season 12-0, the third time in school history that feat has been accomplished. There is no American Athletic Conference championship game, so they'll have next week off while the other conferences determine their champions. #1 Nebraska & #2 Alabama will play in conference championship games, and wins there will likely send Tulane to the Rose Bowl. But if one of them slips up, Tulane could find itself playing for its 2nd national title in school history.

#RollWave

East Carolina Pirates at Tulane Green Wave
Nov 30, 2019	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
#22 East Carolina Pirates (9-3, 6-3 American)	0	7	0	13	-	20
#3 Tulane Green Wave (12-0, 9-0 American)	10	7	6	21	-	44

Team Stats Comparison
	ECU	TULN
Total Offense	393	476
Rushing Yards	104	308
Passing Yards	289	168
First Downs	18	19
Punt Return Yards	5	7
Kick Return Yards	0	68
Total Yards	398	551
Turnovers	6	1
3rd Down Converstion	5/12 (41%)	7/16 (43%)
4th Down Conversion	0/1 (0%)	2/2 (100%)
2-Point Conversion	0/1 (0%)	0/0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2-2-0 (100%)	6-2-3 (83%)
Penalties	3-20	1-10
Posession Time	14:36	29:24

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		ECU	TULN
9:27	(TULN) TD: C. Davis, 47 yd run (XP)	0	7
3:58	(TULN) FG: Z. McGee, 20 yds	0	10
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		ECU	TULN
5:53	(TULN) TD: T.C. Pickens, 1 yd run (XP)	0	17
1:36	(ECU) TD: B. Richardson, 14 yd pass to S. Brittain (XP)	7	17
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		ECU	TULN
7:56	(TULN) FG: Z. McGee, 28 yds	7	20
5:40	(TULN) FG: Z. McGee, 22 yds	7	23
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		ECU	TULN
10:38	(TULN) TD: A. Barnes, 42 yd pass to C. Gandy (XP)	7	30
8:49	(ECU) TD: J. Jones, 35 yd pass to T. Thomas (missed 2-pt)	13	30
5:58	(TULN) TD: A. Barnes, 16 yd pass to J. Johnson (XP)	13	37
3:25	(TULN) TD: E. Foreman, 43 yd run (XP)	13	44
1:57	(ECU) TD: J. Jones, 17 yd pass to B. Gant (XP)	20	44

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Week 15's Top Results


#22 East Carolina 20, #3 Tulane 44
("Game of the Week")

UL Lafayette 35, UL Monroe 28

SMU 21, Central Florida 41

UConn 3, Houston 41

Arkansas State 22, #21 Texas State 13

#7 Oklahoma State 21, Texas Tech 24

Kansas 34, Baylor 24

Iowa State 35, Kansas State 30

Troy 13, Western Kentucky 24

Army 21, Navy 31

Cincinnati 35, Memphis 31

Oklahoma 28, TCU 23

Idaho 10, New Mexico State 24

Temple 10, South Florida 24

#5 Texas 42, West Virginia 35

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

A Look Around The Nation

Conference Championship Week will make or break BCS Picture


BCS STANDINGS

1. Nebraska, 11-0
2. Alabama, 12-0
3. Tulane, 12-0
4. Texas, 10-2
5. Oregon, 11-1
6. Penn State, 11-1
7. Iowa, 9-2
8. Virginia Tech, 10-2
9. LSU, 8-4
10. Ohio State, 10-2
11. Clemson, 10-2
12. Marshall, 9-2
13. Arkansas, 8-3
14. Auburn, 8-4
15. Boise State, 10-2
16. Michigan, 6-5
17. BYU, 9-3
18. Colorado State, 9-3
19. Oklahoma, 8-4
20. Oklahoma State, 9-3
21. Stanford, 8-3
22. Toledo, 10-2
23. Kent State, 9-2
24. Navy, 8-4
25. East Carolina, 9-3


THE AMERICAN STANDINGS

1. Tulane, 12-0
2. Central Florida, 7-5
3. East Carolina, 9-3
4. Houston, 9-3
5. Cincinnati, 6-6
6. Temple, 5-7
7. SMU, 4-8
8. South Florida, 4-7
9. UConn, 4-8
10. Memphis, 0-12


TOP STORIES

Nevada, Colorado State to rematch in this year's Mountain West CCG.

Tulane wins AAC outright, has Championship Week off. Destiny not entirely in their hands.

Top-15 teams Virginia Tech, Clemson meet in ACC Championship Game.

Penn State, Nebraska will face off in Big Ten Championship, easily the highest-profile game of Championship Week.

Ducks hope winning Pac-12 Title can sneak them into the BCS Title Game.


PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

NCAA
Joe Tyree, QB, New Mexico State
18/38, 184 yds, 2 TD
24 rush, 175 yds

Cedric Hill, CB, Tulane
3 tackles, 3 INT


American Athletic Conference
Kyle Vincent, QB, Cincinnati
16/35, 215 yds
12 rush, 94 yds
3 total TD

Cedric Hill, CB, Tulane
3 tackles, 3 INT


HEISMAN WATCH

1. Joseph Jackson, HB, Oregon
247 rush, 1610 yds, 22 TD
29 rec, 423 yds, 6 TD

2. Anthony Harris, HB, Georgia
310 rush, 1969 yds, 24 TD
14 rec, 275 yds, 3 TD

3. Mike Mayhew, HB, East Carolina
338 rush, 2103 yds, 25 TD

4. Brandon Robertson, HB, Alabama
169 rush, 1089 yds, 15 TD
49 rec, 650 yds, 9 TD

5. Adam Barnes, QB, Tulane
133/202, 1910 yds, 17 TD, 11 INT
158 rush, 1397 yds, 13 TD


BOWL PROJECTIONS

BCS
Rose Bowl: #3 Tulane vs. #5 Oregon

Allstate Sugar Bowl: #4 Texas vs. #6 Penn State

Discover Orange Bowl: #11 Clemson vs. #12 Marshall

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: #8 Virginia Tech vs. #9 LSU

BCS National Championship: #2 Alabama vs. #1 Nebraska


American Athletic Conference
Beef O'Brady's Bowl: North Texas vs. Cincinnati

Belk Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. #25 East Carolina

Russell Athletic Bowl: Central Florida vs. Boston College

Autozone Liberty Bowl: Houston vs. Navy

Rose Bowl: #3 Tulane vs. #5 Oregon

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Conference Championship Week


Conference Title Games

C-USA: North Texas (7-5) vs. Navy (8-4)

ACC: #8 Virginia Tech (10-2) vs. #11 Clemson (10-2)

SEC: South Carolina (7-5) vs. #2 Alabama (12-0)

Pac-12: Arizona State (8-4) vs. #5 Oregon (11-1)

MAC: Ohio (8-4) vs. #22 Toledo (10-2)

Mountain West: Nevada (7-4) vs. #18 Colorado State (9-3)

Big Ten: #6 Penn State (11-1) vs. #1 Nebraska (11-0)


Champions Already Determined

American Athletic: #3 Tulane

Big 12: #4 Texas

Sun Belt: Texas State

[mattrd39]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

You did all you could do and won every game on the schedule. We shall see if Nebraska or Alabama slip up in the CCG and get you a shot at another title.

Looks like a down year in the SEC East with 7-5 South Carolina playing the Tide, so probably have to hope Penn State can beat the 'Huskers. Hopefully that wouldn't give them or Oregon enough juice to jump you in the polls. Sometimes the poll logic in the game is crazy - you never know.

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

You did all you could do and won every game on the schedule. We shall see if Nebraska or Alabama slip up in the CCG and get you a shot at another title.

Looks like a down year in the SEC East with 7-5 South Carolina playing the Tide, so probably have to hope Penn State can beat the 'Huskers. Hopefully that wouldn't give them or Oregon enough juice to jump you in the polls. Sometimes the poll logic in the game is crazy - you never know.

Alabama has the better shot to win but South Carolina is an interesting match-up for them. Both teams are close talent-wise. Nebraska has the tougher game but they've been so dominant this year. Wouldn't be shocked if they both win. If one of them loses, look for Oregon, PSU or even Texas to make the jump. That is, assuming the Committee doesn't overlook our 12-0 record (and our dominance of the AAC).

Georgia SHOULD'VE been in the SEC Title Game. They were ranked in the Top 10-15 for most of the year, and leading the SEC East. They decided to choke 2 games down the stretch. One was a loss to 2-8 Kentucky .

Hoping one of Bama/Huskers loses, but if they don't, I'm more than happy with the Rose Bowl. We're likely in for a date with Oregon, which would be a rematch of the National Title Game 2 yrs ago (played, ironically, at the Rose Bowl).

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Conference Championship Week


Results

C-USA: North Texas 31, Navy 38

ACC: #8 Virginia Tech 13, #11 Clemson 42

SEC: South Carolina 14, #2 Alabama 34

Pac-12: Arizona State 28, #5 Oregon 32

MAC: Ohio 24, #22 Toledo 10

Mountain West: Nevada 24, #18 Colorado State 14

Big Ten: #6 Penn State 19, #1 Nebraska 51


Already Determined

American Athletic: #3 Tulane

Big 12: #4 Texas

Sun Belt: Texas State

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

BCS Selection Show

December 8, 2019
ESPN SportsCenter


The conference championship games have been played and we're now on to Bowl Season! This year's Bowl Season, sponsored by Capital One, will put together some of the nation's best teams in interesting match-ups. We'll detail the other bowl match-ups later on SportsCenter, but first are the BCS Games. Here is this year's BCS Selection Show.

BCS National Championship: #2 Alabama vs. #1 Nebraska
Normally we'd save this announcement for last. But with both teams winning their conference championships, it was no surprise who would be playing in this game. It'll be the Nebraska Cornhuskers & the Alabama Crimson Tide playing for the National Title. This is a match-up of 2 of the most dominant teams in college football this season. Nebraska ran through the Big Ten, and Alabama ran through the SEC, to get to this point. This is also a match-up of two of the winningest programs in college football history. It should be a great game in New Orleans.

Rose Bowl Game pres. by Vizio: #3 Tulane vs. #5 Oregon
With Nebraska playing in the Title Game, the Big Ten forfeited its automatic bid to the Rose Bowl. That bid was instead given to the highest-ranked at-large team. Who is that team? The Tulane Green Wave of the American Athletic Conference. Tulane reaches this point after a dominating 12-0 stretch that saw them win the AAC outright, and beat some great teams in the process. While they didn't sneak into the Title Game as they had hoped, the Rose Bowl is without-a-doubt the next best thing. The Green Wave will be playing the Oregon Ducks, who are the Pac-12 Champions after narrowly defeating Arizona State in the Pac-12 Championship Game this past weekend. Both the Ducks & Green Wave bring forth 2 of the nation's most electric offenses. Oregon's hurry-up spread offense has killed teams all season, while Tulane's run-heavy offensive has pounded defenses into the dirt. This match-up is a rematch of the 2018 BCS Championship Game played, ironically, at this same location. The Green Wave won that game 27-20, putting their program on the map. Expect a great rematch in Pasadena.

Allstate Sugar Bowl: #4 Texas vs. #6 Iowa
This year's Allstate Sugar Bowl pits the Big 12 Champ Texas Longhorns against the the Big Ten's Iowa Hawkeyes. Texas won the Big 12 outright & took the conference's automatic bid to the Sugar Bowl. They'll be facing an Iowa team that was the 2nd-best team in the Big Ten West all season. They nearly played for the Big Ten Title, but were unable to upend the mighty Nebraska on Thanksgiving Weekend. Still, they had a great season. This is a match-up of two of the great coaches in college football in Mack Brown & Kirk Ferentz, and both teams will have their teams ready to play on January 2.

Discover Orange Bowl: #7 Clemson vs. #13 Boise State
The Orange Bowl should be an interesting game, featuring ACC Champ Clemson & Mountain West Champ Boise State. The Broncos sneak into this game as an at-large, despite losing 2 games in conference play this season. They did beat some good teams though, including BYU, San Diego State, Hawai'i & Utah State. The Tigers won the ACC Atlantic Division in a 3-way tiebreaker with Florida State & Boston College, and clobbered Coastal Champ Virginia Tech in the Title Game. It'll be a match-up of two high-flying quarterbacks & two punishing defenses, down in Miami.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: #9 LSU vs. #11 Marshall
Arguably the most head-scratching match-up of the BCS Slate, LSU & Marshall will square off in Glendale in the Fiesta Bowl. LSU was ranked for most of the season, despite losing 4 games. Granted, those 4 losses were to ranked opponents (Tulane, Oklahoma, Auburn, Alabama), but they only beat 2 teams all year with winning records. And one of those two teams was 6-5 Michigan. Not exactly BCS-worthy. Even worse is Marshall, who won 9 games but didn't even play for the MAC Championship. They lost on a 3-way tie in the MAC East, and didn't beat anyone of substance this year outside of #21 Kent State. The Thundering Herd played in last year's BCS Title Game (a thumping loss to Oregon), and find themselves at the BCS Table yet again. Hopefully this time around they'll put up a better effort.

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

2019 Bowl Season


American Athletic Conference Bowls

Beef O'Brady's Bowl: Rice (8-4) vs. Cincinnati (6-6)

Belk Bowl: Florida State (8-4) vs. East Carolina (9-3)

Russell Athletic Bowl: Central Florida (7-5) vs. Louisville (8-4)

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: #24 Houston (9-3) vs. Navy (9-4)

Rose Bowl: #3 Tulane (12-0) vs. #5 Oregon (12-1)


Other Bowls

New Mexico Bowl: San Jose State (7-5) vs. Southern Miss (7-5)

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Northern Illinois (8-4) vs. #17 BYU (9-3)

New Orleans Bowl: North Texas (7-6) @ Texas State (9-2)

Poinsettia Bowl: FIU (7-4) vs. Nevada (8-4)

Las Vegas Bowl: Washington (6-6) vs. Colorado State (9-4)

Hawai'i Bowl: Florida Atlantic (8-4) vs. Pittsburgh (6-6)

Independence Bowl: Utah State (8-4) vs. Syracuse (7-5)

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Wisconsin (6-6) vs. Toledo (10-3)

Military Bowl: Miami-OH (7-4) vs. North Carolina (6-5)

Holiday Bowl: Iowa State (6-6) vs. #20 Stanford (8-3)

Alamo Bowl: #18 Oklahoma (8-4) vs. Arizona State (8-5)

Insight Bowl: TCU (7-5) vs. #25 Minnesota (7-4)

Music City Bowl: Notre Dame (7-5) vs. Georgia Tech (6-5)

Sun Bowl: USC (7-5) vs. Boston College (8-4)

Armed Forces Bowl: UTEP (6-6) vs. Hawai'i (8-4)

Meineke Car Care Bowl: Northwestern (6-5) vs. West Virginia (7-5)

Chick-fil-A Bowl: South Carolina (7-6) vs. #15 Virginia Tech (10-3)

Kraft fight Hunger Bowl: #21 Kent State (9-2) vs. Oregon State (6-6)

Outback Bowl: #12 Arkansas (8-3) vs. Ohio State (10-2)

Capital One Bowl: #14 Auburn (8-4) vs. #10 Penn State (11-2)

Gator Bowl: San Diego State (8-4) vs. #16 Michigan (6-5)

Heart of Dallas Bowl: UAB (7-5) vs. Purdue (6-6)

Allstate Sugar Bowl: #4 Texas (10-2) vs. #6 Iowa (9-2)

Orange Bowl: #7 Clemson (11-2) vs. #13 Boise State (10-2)

Fiesta Bowl: #9 LSU (8-4) vs. #11 Marshall (9-2)

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Georgia (7-4) vs. #19 Oklahoma State (9-3)

BBVA Compass Bowl: Bowling Green (7-4) vs. Kansas State (7-5)

GoDaddy.com Bowl: Ohio (9-4) vs. Arkansas State (7-5)


BCS National Championship: #2 Alabama (13-0) vs. #1 Nebraska (12-0)

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Good luck in the Rose Bowl. Considering how they got there, the Fiesta Bowl is going to be a weird one. Maybe I missed when you changed things up, but doesn't the Big XII normally have the automatic bid for the Fiesta Bowl and not the Sugar? Granted you are so far into the dynasty that you may have changed it, my bad if I didn't notice.

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Good luck in the Rose Bowl. Considering how they got there, the Fiesta Bowl is going to be a weird one. Maybe I missed when you changed things up, but doesn't the Big XII normally have the automatic bid for the Fiesta Bowl and not the Sugar? Granted you are so far into the dynasty that you may have changed it, my bad if I didn't notice.

Yeah, I changed that a while back.

The Big 12 USED to be aligned with the Fiesta Bowl. In real life they signed an agreement with the Sugar Bowl back in 2013, that would send their conference champion to that game (when the Sugar Bowl wasn't a CFP Semifinal). If you remember a while back, Oklahoma destroyed Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The Sooners got to that game as part of the new agreement.

Anyway, that LSU-Marshall match-up is a shaft. There were far more deserving teams (Ohio St, Penn St, VA Tech).

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

KSW this is seeming too easy for you. I haven't read back but are you planning to make any changes to make it harder? New sliders, a new conference, tougher recruiting rules? Also are you ever going to jump to NCAA 14? Sorry for all the questions but it just seems at this point the dynasty would start to get a little stale.

I'm always trying to keep it a challenge. I reexamine my slider set after every season, making tweaks as needed. We're moving to the ACC next year, which will be a big step up in competition from the AAC. I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't announced it yet, but I'm planning on stiffening my recruiting rules. Always want to keep it interesting. Keep in mind, it took us 7-8 seasons for it to start "feeling easy." And I wouldn't say it's been too easy. This is probably the deepest roster I've had this entire dynasty, and we still had a few close games (go back to the LSU, Houston & South Florida games). I love it right now.

I will make the move to NCAA 14 eventually. But right now I'm still having fun with this. This season was probably the most fun I've had in this dynasty. The deeper you get into them, the funner dynasties get to me. I & others can attest to this (RoundingThird, thesportsguru11, etc.).