2022 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Conventional Preview: Usc Trojans Vs. Tulane Inexperienced Wave

Time Tulane and date: Monday, January 2 at 1:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. CT
Network: ESPN
Stream: SlingTV
Location: AT&T Stadium — Arlington, TX
Spread: USC (-2), in step with DraftKings
Over/below: 63.five, in keeping with DraftKings
USC cash line: -one hundred thirty, consTulane istent with DraftKings
Tulane money line: +110, consistent with DraftKings
All-time series: USC leads, 2-1
Current streak: USC, 1 (1946)
Last meeting: USC 20, Tulane thirteen — December 21, 1946
USC final bowl: 2019 Holiday Bowl, forty nine-24 loss to Iowa
Tulane closing bowl: 2020 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, 38-27 loss to Nevada
2021 Cotton Bowl matchup: Alabama 27, Cincinnati 6

* Odds/lines problem to alternate. T&Cs practice. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.Setting Tulane href=”https://www.velelove.com” target=”_blank”>Tulane the scene

It has been dubbed the “Eighth Wonder Tulane Tulane of the Wonder of the World.” AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX owns the label as the most important NFL stadium by potential. Its extraordinary 300-foot long arches that crawl from east to west cannot be flawed. The one hundred sixty-by using-72 foot video board Tulane which hovers over the turf is an iconic part of the venue’s shape. Though this is not your common college soccer environment, it Tulane serves because the placing for one of the six most revered bowl video games in the postseason lineup.

Tulane and USC converge in AT&T Stadium on Monday to settle a champion on the 87th iteration of the Cotton Bowl Classic. One 12 months in the past, those groups clashing in a New Year’s Six bowl appeared impossible. Tulane changed into fresh off a 2-10 campaign, whilst USC posted its worst report in 30 years at 4-8.

But both groups took complete advantage of the clean slates that arrived for fall 2022, and come the primary week of December, the Green Wave and Tulane Trojans located themselves competing for his or her conference crowns. Tulane exacted vengeance from a November loss to UCF to turn Tulane out to be AAC champions for the primary time ever, even as USC — one win faraway from this system’s first College Football Playoff appearance — fell quick Tulane inside the second 1/2 in opposition to a physical Utah bunch within the Pac-12 title sport.

The Cotton Bowl will symbolize the fourth meeting among the teams and the first in 76 years. Tulane and USC at first squared off in the Rose Bowl to cap off the 1931 season, and 91 years later, they go back to contrary sidelines in any other most important bowl sport. USC targets for its first New Year’s Six victory since the 2016 Rose Bowl at the same time as Tulane ambitions to snap the AAC’s streak of dropping 4 consecutive New Year’s Six matchups.USC Trojans outlook

USC (eleven-2, eight-1 Pac-12) experienced one of the most superb turnarounds in university football. The Trojans hired former Oklahoma head train Lincoln Riley away after he led the Sooners to four convention titles and three consecutive College Football Playoff appearances from 2017-19. Although Riley wasn’t able to qualify for his fourth playoff at his new destination, the Trojans stood one win faraway from crashing the occasion.

Riley’s arrival to Los Angeles sparked USC to haul inside the maximum amazing transfer portal class in the FBS. The majority of USC’s starters this yr hailed from the portal, but none were more tremendous than the one who received the highest person honor in university soccer. Quarterback Caleb Williams accompanied Riley from Oklahoma to USC and captured Heisman Trophy honors after a brilliant season presenting 4,half passing yards, 37 passing touchdowns, and just 4 interceptions. An avid scrambler, Williams also introduced 372 yards and 10 touchdowns inside the speeding branch, cementing his vicinity because the 0.33 Trojan quarterback to say the Heisman.

Williams’ mobility become confined within the Pac-12 Championship Game in opposition to Utah because of a hamstring harm, but the All-American quarterback is revitalized after a whole month of rest. That have to allow greater movement around the pocket for the sophomore, who absorbed seven sacks in his previous outing because of super struggles with Tulane mobility.

The star quarterback should operate without his No. 1 target, but. Jordan Addison, the 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner for country’s quality receiver, opted out of the the rest of the season to focus at the 2023 NFL Draft. Tulane Even without Addison within the lineup, the usa’s No. five passing offense capabilities lots of viable weapons at Williams’ disposal. Tahj Washington (Memphis), Mario Williams (Oklahoma), and Brenden Rice (Colorado) all transferred in from specific areas of the us of a, but the trio at once meshed together to create an impressive triumvirate at the west coast. Even the long-tenured Trojan Kyle Ford is a validated weapon able to exploding for a hundred yards, so the absence of Addison shouldn’t slow down this bypass-happy offense too much.

Thus, Tulane’s pass defense will clearly have its palms complete given the Heisman winner’s capability to inflict damage on the run and the bevy of Tulane capable receivers in the lineup. Allowing as few as 188.five yards per recreation, defending the bypass is generally the calling card of the Green Wave defense. But USC will even try to unleash its jogging game, which generates over 5 yards consistent with convey, on a somewhat-bold Tulane floor protection.

The Trojans function without leading rusher Travis Dye, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in November. But Austin Jones has fulfilled that vacancy spectacularly, averaging 103 speeding yards in line with recreation in Dye’s absence while additionally serving as a common alternative in the receiving sport. For a 2d fiddle to Jones within the Cotton Bowl, USC could present a heavier dose of five-megastar genuine freshman Raleek Brown, who earned tremendous run inside the Trojans’ wins over Rice and Colorado this yr.

However, paving the manner for the walking backs, in addition to presenting protection for Williams, is a enormously shorthanded offensive line. The Trojans are without First Team All-Pac-12 offensive address Andrew Vorhees, who departed for NFL Draft coaching, and center Brett Neilon, who sustained an injury inside the Pac-12 Championship Game.

USC’s offense doesn’t turn the ball over an awful lot. In truth, the Trojans ranked first inside the country in taking care of the pigskin through coughing up just six turnovers this year. On the flip side, USC’s protection is as elite as any program at forcing takeaways. The Trojans intercepted 19 passes this yr and recovered 9 fumbles, amounting to a +22 turnover margin. No different FBS group boasts a margin better than +sixteen — a huge thing in producing an 11-2 report.

But the Trojans’ defense led with the aid of coordinator Alex Grinch in many instances plays an overly competitive nature, which can be a Tulane double-edged sword. USC often is predicated on turnovers to stifle opposing offense, and every so often, this prevents the unit from producing stops inside the conventional method. Grinch’s protection ranks a hundred and first in the FBS in phrases of yards allowed in step with recreation with recurring problems in preventing the aerial assault. Missed tackles can be apparent at instances, as they had been within the Pac-12 name recreation when Utah shed USC defenders on 24 occasions. Since tackling and coverage aren’t the fortes of this squad, the Trojans are 114th nationally in restricting opposing 0.33 downs — any other statistic which demonstrates how critical it’s miles for this unit to accumulate turnovers.

The famous person of the defense is Tuli Tuipulotu — arguably the maximum dominant defensive lineman inside the u . s . and the maximum impactful incumbent from the 2021 squad. The unanimous All-American and two-time First Team All-Pac-12 selection ranks Tulane atop the FBS in person sacks accumulated with 12.five at the season. As exhibited through his 21 tackles for loss, the 6’4”, 290 pound shielding stop has been a difficult puzzle to clear up for opposing linemen all season, and Monday’s matchup at AT&T Stadium may be his final collegiate appearance have to he decide to claim for the NFL Draft.