Tulane Football Schedule Breakdown: UTSA

A rough two-week stretch continues as TU would look to take full control of the American.

Nov 24, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Tulane Green Wave running back Makhi Hughes (21) runs against UTSA Roadrunners running back Kevorian Barnes (4) during the first half at Yulman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Tulane Football Schedule 2026

Week 1 - at Duke, September 5
Week 2 - South Alabama, September 12
Week 3 - at Kansas State, September 19
Week 4 - Southern Miss, September 26
Week 5 - OPEN DATE, October 3
Week 6 - at Army, October 10
Week 7 - Memphis, October 16
Week 8 - UTSA, October 24
Week 9 - at Charlotte, October 30
Week 10 - Tulsa, November 7
Week 11 - at Rice, November 14
Week 12 - North Texas, November 21
Week 13 - at South Florida, November 27

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If we assume Tulane won last week against Memphis, TU would be looking pretty nice in the American. They'd have a 2-0 record to start conference play, while also beating Memphis, a team seen as one of the premier squads in the American.

Things won't get any easier with UTSA waiting for them the following week. The good news for the Wave is, both last week's Memphis game and the contest against Texas-San Antonio are played at Yulman.

A Chip on Their Shoulder

With the Wave returning more than most teams, a lot of these players had to feel the heart-sinking loss against UTSA last year, that could've easily bit Tulane in the behind late in the year.

At the time, Tulane had Memphis the following week, who was atop the American conference at the time, but UTSA would stomp the Wave in a 48-26 loss for the Greenies.

Everything would work out in the end for Tulane, however, as they'd go on to win the conference championship, giving birth to their first ever CFP appearance.

Regardless, this loss weighs on the minds of returning players alike, as that loss could've been the very reason they missed out on the playoffs. Especially in a game where they were favored by 5.5 points (SportsLine) heading into the matchup.

The offense will be looking to limit the turnovers they suffered in the last bout, and the Wave defense should be better experienced for that Road Runner passing attack.

Winning Two in a Row

While the Road Runners maintained their head coach, Jeff Traylor after last year's carousel came and went. They did manage to pick up a new offensive coordinator in Rick Bowie, who was previously the offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky.

Their offense wasn’t exactly lacking last year, they were 14th in points per game (34.5) and 25th in yards (417.2), but they’ll be looking for similar production under their new OC.

With 49 outgoing transfers, Memphis had no choice but to come out of the portal with a net positive. They ended up receiving 53 transfers, with players like WR Alante Brown from Michigan State looking to revitalize the offense.

Not to mention, they’ll be returning with quite a bit of production, retaining 64% of their starters on offense, but on the flip side, they only maintained 44% of defensive personnel. All in all, it’s a familiar setting for most of the Road Runner squadron, and they’ll only have one thing in mind when facing the Wave.

The goal for this game alone is simple for UTSA, beat the Wave two years in a row and throw them off their game.

If TU were to lose this game, whether it’s after a win or a loss to Memphis, it would knock them off course, and it’d be difficult to regain that control again.

A Strong Foothold

If we were to look on the other side of that same coin, and TU sees a victory against UTSA, then we’re looking at a completely different story.

After just traveling to West Point and then facing one of the favorites to win the conference in Memphis, if TU could go 3-0 in that stretch, they’d be primed for a strong conference finish. Following UTSA is a trip to Charlotte, one of the worst teams in the American, two home games against Tulsa and North Texas, with a trip to Rice mashed in between the two. Rounding out the end of the season is a trip to South Florida, where the conference could likely be decided.

Tulsa and Rice are on the weaker end of the American spectrum, and although North Texas was in the conference championship last year, they’ve lost both their star quarterback, Drew Mestemaker and their head coach, Eric Morris, who both left for Oklahoma State.

Having a 6-0 conference record could give the Wave a ton of cushion, and if history repeats itself and the Tigers collapse, who knows who TU would be competing for the American against.