Oklahoma vs. Tulane College Football Week 1 Picks and Predictions

Thanks to Hurricane Ida’s destructive force, Tulane’s campus took a beating and this matchup has been moved to Norman, Oklahoma. That changes the line significantly in this encounter.

It seems to happen every year now, where hurricanes have a direct impact on college football. This is the latest example, with the New Orleans area hit hard, where Tulane University is located. The Green Wave had moved to Birmingham for practice and many parts of the New Orleans area are without power. The two schools had created contingency plans and have moved the game to Norman, with talks to create future plans for Oklahoma to visit the Big Easy.

The adjusted line at top sportsbooks like Heritage Sports has the Sooners at -31 over Tulane, though the Green Wave will still be considered the home team.

Tulane Green Wave vs. Oklahoma Sooners

Saturday, September 04, 2021 – 12:00 PM EDT at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

Oklahoma Scouting Report

For Oklahoma, this venue alteration means they will open the season with four consecutive home games, which is a bonus for a team that could win a national championship.

For years under Lincoln Riley, the offense was never a problem for the Sooners, it was always the defense that prevented them from advancing to the Final Four title games. The hiring of Alex Grinch from Ohio State changed everything about this program, now able to attract elite defensive recruits. Oklahoma was still only 83^rd against the pass last season, but moved up to 9^th versus the run, being able to take something away from opposing teams. With improvement presumed against the pass, Riley’s crew is thought of as a national contender.

On offense, quarterback Spencer Rattler made his share of mistakes as a freshman and was briefly benched and learned a lesson. He was a better QB in the second half of the season and he is expected to run one of the top offenses in the country again.

Tulane Scouting Report

This is a tough situation for coach Willie Fritz, who had to be extremely excited to have the No. 2 in the country visiting Yulman Stadium. Tulane will stay in Birmingham in order to practice and they will remain there until they fly to Norman.

The Green Wave has played in three straight bowl games under Fritz. Tulane’s offense under Fritz has been among the best in school history, listed fourth and second in points scored all-time. Quarterback Michael Hall led all freshmen with 20 touchdown passes and he’ll be in front of a solid offensive line. However, a new offensive coordinator (Chip Long) is taking over.

A new defensive coordinator (Chris Hampton) will be running the stop troops who were 115^th nationally in pass yards allowed. Having lost their bookend defensive ends, Hampton will have his work cut out for him against Oklahoma’s passing attack.

Game Prediction: What to Look For

Tulane is believed to be a middle-of-the-pack crew in the American Conference. The Green Wave is at its best with a balanced attack, running and throwing the ball. However, indications are Oklahoma could stop the run, which makes Tulane one-dimensional and more vulnerable to the Sooners pass rush.

For Oklahoma, staying home is a benefit, while Tulane goes from the excitement of hosting a highly-ranked opponent, to unsettled, practicing in a strange place and having to travel instead.

However, for college football picks, giving -31 points is a tall order. The emotion of this matchup is like a balloon popped. The one aspect of college football is no preseason games. So the head coaches and their staff are not exactly sure what they have until their teams play live and they can watch the tape. With this kind of thinking, this is a lot of points and we would rather take them than give them.

NCAAF Picks: Tulane +31 (-108) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)

Tulane +31 (-108)

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*The pick reflects the line at the moment the writer made the play, the odds at the beginning of this article show the live line movement. Since the lines might vary, don’t forget to refer back to our live odds.

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