The College Football season may be a long way off but Matt Fargo is already deep in study and will once again provide his take on each and every NCAA team. We start from the bottom and move up so keep checking in for more previews!

No. 107 Tulane Green Wave
2007 Record ~ 4-8 SU ~ 5-6 ATS
Starters Returning ~ Offense (8) Defense (7)

Tulane has not had a winning season since 2002 and it doesn’t look like that string will be broken this season. A lot of starters are back on a fairly decent team from last season but there is more to it than that. Running back Matt Forte was not just the best offensive player last season but he was the offense. Losing a player of his caliber is impossible to replace so not only do the Green Wave have other holes to fill, they have one giant one to fill. A lot of holes and not enough time mean another long and draining campaign.

Forte accounted for almost 51 percent of the entire offense so now what? It will be up to quarterback Anthony Scelfo to run the show and figure ways to move the ball. Jeremy Williams and Brian King combined for 1,219 receiving yards and seven touchdowns last year so targets are there for him. Injuries depleted the offensive line last season but four starters are back so pass protection and running lanes should be available. Running back Andre Anderson, who had all of 95 rushing yards last season, has some big shoes to fill.

The passing defense was one of the worst in the country a season ago as Tulane finished 113th against the pass. There is not much hope this season as depth is a huge concern as is the fact that two starters need to be replaced. All three linebackers are returning as are both defensive ends so the front seven should be in decent shape with the exception of two new tackles. The Green Wave allowed 34 or more points in half of their games and that needs to come down drastically if there is to be any success.

The schedule is bottom-heavy tough and that is actually good for a team trying to find some new identities. A trip to Alabama starts the season then it is four straight home games before the real tough part begins. Five of the final seven games are on the road including contests at C-USA favorite Tulsa and contenders UTEP, Houston and Memphis along with SEC power LSU. The third and fourth home games are against SMU and Army and we should know by then what it is made of so stay away until at least then.
 

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