Tulane Green Wave Could Stand In The Way Of The UNLV Rebels' College Football Playoff Hopes

ESPN believes that the Tulane Green Wave are currently more likely to earn the G6 College Playoff Bid over the UNLV Rebels.

The UNLV Rebels logo at midfield during the Mountain West Championship at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The UNLV Rebels have made their early-season case to be the G6 representatives for the College Football Playoff by starting off 3 - 0 before their bye week and knocking off their lone Power 4 opponent from the Big 10, the UCLA Bruins. While they have built up a decent resume so far and won all the games on their schedule, there are still a few teams that ESPN believes have made a stronger case for the College Football Playoff so far.

One of the teams that is believed to be in the driver's seat ahead of the Rebels is the Tulane Green Wave. They are currently sitting at 2 - 0 with wins over Northwestern and South Alabama. Their next two games will be huge for them. They face off against two Power 4 teams in Week 3 and Week 4. In Week 3, they host Duke, then in Week 4, they go on the road to play Ole Miss. If they can somehow manage to win at Ole Miss, it could give them a win stronger than other G6 team is capable of getting. A win at Memphis in November could be huge for them, too.

The Rebels' biggest remaining games are at the Boise State Broncos and at the Colorado State Rams. You can make the case they have the stronger conference schedule in the Mountain West, but those non-conference games will loom large for Tulane.

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ESPN On The Tulane Green Wave's College Football Playoff Chances

"According to the Allstate Playoff Predictor, Tulane has the second-best chance in the American to reach the playoff (19.8%) behind South Florida. The Green Wave earned a Power 4 win in their opener, albeit at home against an unranked Northwestern team. Tulane has another chance to start to separate itself from the other Group of 5 contenders on Saturday against Duke, but the biggest opportunity will be on Sept. 20 at Ole Miss. This would be even more impressive than South Florida's win at The Swamp because the Rebels look like a tougher opponent. ESPN's FPI gives Ole Miss an 87.3% chance to win."

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Whether it's for the better or worse, things will likely change drastically for the Green Wave over the next few weeks. Duke is a big game for them, but Ole Miss is going to be massive and could have a huge impact on the Rebels' CFP hopes.

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