Game-by-game predictions for Temple football in 2024
By Austin Lloyd
Oct. 19: Tulsa (W)
This Saturday has the Owls putting on their Homecoming game after a bye week. Their opponent for the occasion is the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, another yucky team that will also be coming off a week’s rest. Already sounds like an instant classic, am I right?
OK, but seriously, there’s actually a discussion to be had about this one, as I’m certain that some people have questions about me taking Temple in spite of how badly it’s been beaten by Tulsa over the past few years.
Hear me out: My path to this prediction is hardly different from the one I took to the win over Utah State. Sure, the Golden Hurricane have considerably better circumstances going in, but with both the aforementioned superiority over Temple (which, if you haven’t been counting, should be 1-5 at this point) and Tulsa’s own Homecoming (featuring a problematic UTSA) clouding the mind, this meeting is nonetheless easy to overlook.
Meanwhile, the Owls are well aware of how the Golden Hurricane’s had their number, and it’ll absolutely fuel their drive to thrive in what they’ll want to be one of their biggest moments of 2024. So, the question is: Will a distracted Tulsa have what it takes to swallow that? My guess is no.
Oct. 26: at East Carolina (W)
Since I spent additional time justifying my pick for the Tulsa game, I’ll make a point of keeping this one brief and just say that the Pirates are downright terrible. I want to warn, though, that this likely won’t be a particularly convincing victory for Temple, whether it be due to playing in Greenville for ECU’s Homecoming, or the fact that the 2023 Pirates were technically within 20 points of going bowling.
Nov. 9: at Tulane (L)
Hey check it out, another game we can ignore.
I get how Tulane could appear a little questionable, as Temple is coming to town off its other bye week, as amped as it could ever be, to face a Green Wave that’s lost both star quarterback Michael Pratt and outstanding head coach Willie Fritz — I just can’t do it, though. I can’t give the Owls the win.
When holding how good Tulane’s been next to how bad Temple’s been, I simply can’t imagine the Green Wave crashing so quickly that the Owls will already have a clean shot at surviving their encounter. This is also Tulane’s Homecoming game, so yeah.