Football Earns No. 25 in the College Football Playoff Rankings
Nov 12, 2024 | Football
NEW ORLEANS  – Tulane football's team is ranked No. 25 in the second edition of the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings released on November 12.
This is third consecutive season that Tulane has earned a CFP ranking. The team entered the 2023 Goodyear Cotton Bowl ranked No. 16 by the CFP before upsetting then No. 10 USC by a 46-45 score. The team was ranked No. 24 by the CFP committee in the first release of the rankings last season and had moved up to No. 23 prior to the 2023 AAC Championship Game against SMU.
The new CFP format consists of 12 teams. Automatic bids are given to the top four conference champions, which are automatically seeded 1-4 regardless of Playoff ranking. The remaining eight spots will comprise at least six at-large bids and then the two highest-ranked remaining conference champs.
First round
No. 1 team (bye)
No. 2 team (bye)
No. 3 team (bye)
No. 4 team (bye)
No. 12 team at No. 5 team
No. 11 team at No. 6 team
No. 10 team at No. 7 team
No. 9 team at No. 8 team
Quarterfinals
No. 1 team vs. No. 8/9 team
No. 2 team vs. No. 7/10 team
No. 3 team vs. No. 6/11 team
No. 4 team vs. No. 5/12 team
Game                                                           Date
First round                                                    Dec. 20-21
Fiesta Bowl (Quarterfinals)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec. 31
Sugar, Peach, Rose Bowls (Quarterfinals)Â Â Jan. 1
Orange Bowl (Semifinals)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan. 9
Cotton Bowl (Semifinals)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan. 10
National Championship                 Jan. 20
Tulane is also currently ranked No. 25 in the Associated Press Poll and are garnering the most votes of any team not currently ranked in the Coaches Poll this week.
Tulane has started the 2024 season with an 8-2 record and 6-0 mark in the AAC. The Green Wave earned a Homecoming 52-6 conference victory over Temple on Nov. 9. Makhi Hughes led the team with 153 yards rushing including a pair of rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Darian Mensah was 14-for-21 in the game for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Mario Williams hauled in four passes for 94 yards. The win was Tulane's seventh straight overall and the 16th consecutive AAC regular victory dating back to the 2022 campaign. Both losses for Green Wave this season have come to teams that were ranked in Associated Press Top 25 including a 34-27 home defeat to then No. 17 Kansas State on Sept. 7 and a 34-19 road loss to then No. 15 Oklahoma on Sept. 14.
Tulane leads the AAC and the nation with six defensive touchdowns. The program is placed second in passing efficiency in the conference with a 167.10. Hughes is placed No. 4 nationally in rushing this season with 1,209 yards. The team has already been honored by the league office 11 times this season with Rayshawn Pleasant (Defensive Player of the Week - Sept. 2 and Special Teams Player of the Week – Oct. 6), Darian Mensah (Weekly Honor Roll - Sept. 9 and Sept. 30), Tyler Grubbs (Weekly Honor Roll - Sept. 16), Makhi Hughes (Weekly Honor Roll - Sept. 23, Oct. 21, Oct. 28, Nov. 4 & Nov. 11) and Gerrod Henderson (Defensive Player of the Week - Sept. 30).
Tulane's football team was chosen for third in the AAC Preseason Media Poll with 362 points plus two first-place votes at the annual conference media day.
Tulane finished the 2023 season with a mark of 11-3 and a perfect 8-0 record in the American Athletic Conference. The program concluded the campaign with the 16th bowl appearance at the GoBowling Military Bowl contest against Virginia Tech. It was the fifth time in the last six years that Tulane has appeared in a bowl game. The team is 31-7 over the last three seasons.
The school announced the hiring of Jon Sumrall as the 42nd head coach of the team on December 8, 2023. The Huntsville, Alabama native was one of the most successful head coaches in the country the last two seasons. He guided Troy University to a 23-4 record, two Sun Belt Conference championships and a pair of double-digit winning streaks. He was named Sun Belt Conference Coach of Year and was twice named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year honor. Sumrall returns to Tulane after serving as the Green Wave's Co-Defensive Coordinator for three years (2012-14). In 2013, he was a crucial part of Tulane's run to the New Orleans Bowl, the program's first postseason appearance since 2002 and third since 1988. Sumrall also was named a finalist for FootballScoop Defensive Line Coach of the Year.
Next, Tulane's football team travels to take on Navy (7-2, 5-1 AAC) on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 11 a.m. in a game that will be shown live on ESPN2.
TICKETS
Tickets for the football and the men's and women's basketball seasons can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane football on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Â
WE ARE NOLA BUILT
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.
                                            - TulaneGreenWave -
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This is third consecutive season that Tulane has earned a CFP ranking. The team entered the 2023 Goodyear Cotton Bowl ranked No. 16 by the CFP before upsetting then No. 10 USC by a 46-45 score. The team was ranked No. 24 by the CFP committee in the first release of the rankings last season and had moved up to No. 23 prior to the 2023 AAC Championship Game against SMU.
The new CFP format consists of 12 teams. Automatic bids are given to the top four conference champions, which are automatically seeded 1-4 regardless of Playoff ranking. The remaining eight spots will comprise at least six at-large bids and then the two highest-ranked remaining conference champs.
First round
No. 1 team (bye)
No. 2 team (bye)
No. 3 team (bye)
No. 4 team (bye)
No. 12 team at No. 5 team
No. 11 team at No. 6 team
No. 10 team at No. 7 team
No. 9 team at No. 8 team
Quarterfinals
No. 1 team vs. No. 8/9 team
No. 2 team vs. No. 7/10 team
No. 3 team vs. No. 6/11 team
No. 4 team vs. No. 5/12 team
Game                                                           Date
First round                                                    Dec. 20-21
Fiesta Bowl (Quarterfinals)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec. 31
Sugar, Peach, Rose Bowls (Quarterfinals)Â Â Jan. 1
Orange Bowl (Semifinals)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan. 9
Cotton Bowl (Semifinals)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan. 10
National Championship                 Jan. 20
Tulane is also currently ranked No. 25 in the Associated Press Poll and are garnering the most votes of any team not currently ranked in the Coaches Poll this week.
Tulane has started the 2024 season with an 8-2 record and 6-0 mark in the AAC. The Green Wave earned a Homecoming 52-6 conference victory over Temple on Nov. 9. Makhi Hughes led the team with 153 yards rushing including a pair of rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Darian Mensah was 14-for-21 in the game for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Mario Williams hauled in four passes for 94 yards. The win was Tulane's seventh straight overall and the 16th consecutive AAC regular victory dating back to the 2022 campaign. Both losses for Green Wave this season have come to teams that were ranked in Associated Press Top 25 including a 34-27 home defeat to then No. 17 Kansas State on Sept. 7 and a 34-19 road loss to then No. 15 Oklahoma on Sept. 14.
Tulane leads the AAC and the nation with six defensive touchdowns. The program is placed second in passing efficiency in the conference with a 167.10. Hughes is placed No. 4 nationally in rushing this season with 1,209 yards. The team has already been honored by the league office 11 times this season with Rayshawn Pleasant (Defensive Player of the Week - Sept. 2 and Special Teams Player of the Week – Oct. 6), Darian Mensah (Weekly Honor Roll - Sept. 9 and Sept. 30), Tyler Grubbs (Weekly Honor Roll - Sept. 16), Makhi Hughes (Weekly Honor Roll - Sept. 23, Oct. 21, Oct. 28, Nov. 4 & Nov. 11) and Gerrod Henderson (Defensive Player of the Week - Sept. 30).
Tulane's football team was chosen for third in the AAC Preseason Media Poll with 362 points plus two first-place votes at the annual conference media day.
Tulane finished the 2023 season with a mark of 11-3 and a perfect 8-0 record in the American Athletic Conference. The program concluded the campaign with the 16th bowl appearance at the GoBowling Military Bowl contest against Virginia Tech. It was the fifth time in the last six years that Tulane has appeared in a bowl game. The team is 31-7 over the last three seasons.
The school announced the hiring of Jon Sumrall as the 42nd head coach of the team on December 8, 2023. The Huntsville, Alabama native was one of the most successful head coaches in the country the last two seasons. He guided Troy University to a 23-4 record, two Sun Belt Conference championships and a pair of double-digit winning streaks. He was named Sun Belt Conference Coach of Year and was twice named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year honor. Sumrall returns to Tulane after serving as the Green Wave's Co-Defensive Coordinator for three years (2012-14). In 2013, he was a crucial part of Tulane's run to the New Orleans Bowl, the program's first postseason appearance since 2002 and third since 1988. Sumrall also was named a finalist for FootballScoop Defensive Line Coach of the Year.
Next, Tulane's football team travels to take on Navy (7-2, 5-1 AAC) on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 11 a.m. in a game that will be shown live on ESPN2.
TICKETS
Tickets for the football and the men's and women's basketball seasons can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane football on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Â
WE ARE NOLA BUILT
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.
                                            - TulaneGreenWave -
Â
Players Mentioned
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DE
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QB
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DB
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WR
/ FootballPostgame: HC Jon Sumrall and WR Anthony Brown-Stephens - 9/20/25
Sunday, September 21
Postgame: LB Sam Howard - 9/20/25
Sunday, September 21
Tulane Tuesday: WR Shazz Preston - 9/16/25
Tuesday, September 16
Tulane Tuesday: Spear TJ Smith - 9/16/25
Tuesday, September 16
