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Posted at 2:35 PM EST.

8:00 PM EST. This just might be one of the better bets of the college football season and if it wasn’t on a short week, we’d likely call it exactly that. These short weeks, whether it be in the NFL or college, include more intangibles than a normal full week off. There is less time to prepare, less time to practice, less time to heal and one also has to consider the travel schedule too. The Green Wave will play their third straight on the road here after a game in East Carolina this past Saturday while Houston was at home this past Saturday against Temple. While both teams are on a short week, there is a clear advantage for the host, who did not have to travel anywhere. We thought it was important to include that information so you can decide whether or not you want to get involved. We do because Tulane is capable of winning this one outright. If they get blown out or don’t cover this number, it’ll be because of the situation and not because they can’t compete with Houston.

The Cougars play offense. They play fast and they play to score but their defense can’t stop the marching band. It’s absolutely worth noting that the Cougs lost to Temple last week while giving up 59 points in the process and that defense will get right back to work in short order here. Incidentally, Tulane plays defense and gave up just 17 points to East Carolina last week. The Cougars have surrendered 36 points or more in four straight weeks, thus, there is no rest for the weary here. The “pitch count” on this defense is getting out of hand and the blueprint to beat them has been laid by its past two opponents, as Houston has lost two straight to the aforementioned Owls (59-49) and they also lost to SMU (45-31) as a 13½-point choice. When betting a game between two sides on a short week, we also want the knowledge that we have a coaching edge and we trust that’s the case here also.

Tulane was 4-8 in Willie Fritz's first season, then 5-7 last year, narrowly missing a bowl berth due to a three-point loss to close out the season at SMU. The Green Wave run a gun option offense that Fritz and coordinator Doug Ruse brought from Georgia Southern, and it lagged behind a decent defense so far in Fritz's tenure. The culprit has been mediocre quarterback play, and after incumbent starter Jonathan Banks lost two fumbles late in a loss to SMU, Fritz announced he was turning to LSU transfer Justin McMillan, who started for the first time on October 27th in the Wave's 24-17 win at Tulsa. McMillan didn't turn it over and ran for nearly 10 yards per carry, and the offensive line had its best game of the year. The Green Wave has not lost since. The switch to McMillan and the emergence of running back Corey Dauphine give this team a potent one-two punch and a chance to roll up 300 yards rushing in every game the rest of the year. At 5-5, Tulane held serve against East Carolina and will need to beat either Navy at home or Houston on the road to make the postseason. The Green Wave has held their last three opponents to 17, 15 and 18 points respectively and one of those teams was the high octane Bulls of South Florida that Tulane crushed, 41-15. This is a crew with good chemistry, that is peaking at the right time and even if they don't cover here, the Green Wave will go down swinging. Don’t be surprised if they win outright.

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