USF Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2017
By Zach Bigalke
No team returns more starters in 2017 than Tulane. The Green Wave bring back eight players on each side of the ball, and they could be in the race for a bowl berth. In Willie Fritz’s first season as head coach, the Green Wave went 4-8. The team, though, went just 1-7 in American Athletic Conference play.
In Tulane’s favor, they bring back more starters from last year than any other team in the league. They also lost to Wake Forest, SMU, and Navy by a single score. Fritz should have a more competitive group in 2017, and some of those results should turn around in close games. Against more elite competition, though, the Green Wave will have a hard time keeping pace.
Playing in separate divisions over the past few years, and in different conferences before that, Tulane and South Florida have never met on the football field.
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PREDICTION: South Florida 34, Tulane 17 (8-0)
This inaugural showdown in New Orleans might not be kind to the hosts. Tulane will be able to score a few touchdowns in front of their home crowd at Yulman Stadium. A decent defense could also keep South Florida from lighting up the scoreboard too much. But the Bulls simply have too much firepower to lose their first game of the year to the Green Wave.