Tulane v FIU – NCAAF Betting Preview and Prediction
Tulane and FIU will clash on Friday, August 30 at Yulman Stadium, New Orleans, LA in the second-ever match between the two programs and the first time since 2017, when FIU won 32:10. Hoping they can repeat their result from two years ago, FIU will enter the match with high hopes, yet they will have to be on top of their game to derail Willie Fritz’s side.
A must-win for Tulane
Facing Auburn at the start of September, followed by seven tough matches, the Friday’s fixture against FIU is a must-win for the home side and quite frankly, they do have a solid shot at avenging their defeat against FIU in 2017. Their biggest advantage is without a doubt their coach Willie Fritz, who is widely considered to be one of the best coaches and rightfully so. He might not have had the best possible start at the Wave, yet we have to consider Tulane team was a complete mess when he arrived, leaving him with a lot of work left to be done.
While Tulane are still nowhere near where the team wants to be, Fritz is doing a great job in building a solid team. Ahead of the next match, Tulane’s ace in the hole is Jalen McCleskey, who is a huge weapon for Justin McMillan to work with. Nonetheless, Tulane biggest advantage which will play a huge role against FIU is their defense, which is one of the best out of all non-Power 5 teams, which keep in mind kept Memphis at 0 last year.
FIU counting on their offense to deliver
Much like Tulane, FIU have an exceptional coach in Butch Davis, who is doing a wonderful job. Looking back last season, FIU might have overachieved a bit, considering they had a fairly easy schedule, meaning we can expect them to have a notably worse record this time out. As far as the upcoming fixture is concerned, a lot of FIU success will come down to how their explosive offense can perform. They have an exceptional QB to go alongside talented RB and WR, nonetheless, their biggest concern is their inability to run on early downs, which we expect will lead to a few too many 3rd/longs, crashing into Tulane’s defense. On the other side, FIU’s defensive front is soft, and while their secondary put up solid numbers, we do believe they are slightly overrated, considering their opponents last year were not among the best.
Verdict & Prediction
We expect Tulane offensive balance to take the reins of the match into their hands early on. However, their biggest strength lies in their defense, which we do not expect to have a hard time against FIU, who struggle to run. While FIU’s fast-paced approach to the game is expected to keep this one close and entertaining, we have to side with the Green Wave here. Not only will this be a must-win match for the home side, but we firmly believe their overall quality can easily match FIU, who come off a bit overrated here. All in all, Tulane’s defense is too solid for FIU and considering the weaknesses and strengths of both sides, it’s a perfect fixture for Tulane to showcase their strength and win in front of their home fans.
Prediction: Tulane -2.00 Points
Odds: 1.97 Pinnacle
