Can Tulane Shut Out Roaring Outside Noise for Critical Win at Rice?

One thing is for certain; the Tulane Green Wave will have perhaps their biggest test in years in shutting out the outside noise and locking in to beat the Rice Owls this weekend.

Their Week 11showdown in Houston comes on the heels of a 60-10 Homecoming beatdown loss to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, a statement released by the Green Wave athletic director on the humiliating defeat, and plenty of fan discontent, fairly so.

It’s to the point where a lot of the chatter and noise has been almost wishing that Tulane loses out so changes are made.

That’s not a mentality that would ever enter the ethers of the brains of college football players who are in the midst of trying to live out their dreams.

They’ll be dreams, for the first time in seasons, that won’t include the American Conference championship game.

For guys who have been on the roster since 2023 or 2024, that is the new normal for them, and this year is decidedly abnormal from what they’re used to.

This season, they are still playing for bowl eligibility at this point, something that was wrapped up by Week 8 at the latest in each of the last four seasons.

Tulane is currently 4-5 and needs two more wins to get to bowl eligibility. Their best-case scenario at present is an 8-5 finish that includes a bowl win.

Now, 6-6 will still get them to a bowl. In fact, 5-7 still might, as bowls struggle to fill all their spots and will eventually dip into teams with losing records. But that really won’t have the same air to it as a bowl game that feels earned by the record required for eligibility.

It all feels pretty moot without a win this weekend, as it also feels like the most attainable win out of the three due to a plain look at records and talent.

It’s also a win coming off their worst margin of defeat in Yulman Stadium history and the program’s worst loss since 2012.

That’s plenty of weight on these guys’ shoulders for things to get right this weekend.

A win against the Rice Owls, at this stage in the game, will not move the needle for fans. That doesn’t mean that there’s no reason to keep fighting for a season that only these guys on the field know the work that was put in to still have a chance to claw their way back at the end.