The Tulane Green Wave take on the South Alabama Jaguars in Mobile, Alabama. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Tulane is favored by -10.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -395. The total is set at 51.5 points.
Here’s my Tulane vs. South Alabama prediction and college football picks for Saturday, September 6, 2025.
Tulane vs South Alabama Prediction
- Tulane vs. South Alabama Pick: Tulane -10.5 (-110, BetMGM)
My South Alabama vs Tulane best bet is on the Green Wave to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Tulane vs South Alabama Odds
| Tulane Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-10.5 -110 | 50.5 -110o / -110u | -400 |
| S. Alabama Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+10.5 -110 | 50.5 -110o / -110u | +310 |
- Tulane vs South Alabama point spread: Tulane -10.5
- Tulane vs South Alabama over/under: 50.5 points
- Tulane vs South Alabama moneyline: Tulane -400, South Alabama +310
Tulane vs South Alabama Preview
Tulane Green Wave Betting Preview
It turns out that Tulane had a little extra juice in its Week 1 win over Northwestern.
The visiting school denied Jon Sumrall's request to wear white to honor the 2005 team that played in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. So, Tulane stuck it to Northwestern, beating them 23-3.
Tulane's defense stood head and shoulders above the crowd, forcing four turnovers and generating four tackles for loss. Northwestern managed just one explosive play (a 62-yard run), and a third of all rushes resulted in two yards or fewer.
Tulane's stop unit was heralded as a Group of Five All-Star roster this preseason, and it showed right off the bat.
BYU transfer Jake Retzlaff turned heads with a 69-yard touchdown run and 53 additional rushing yards on eight carries. Perhaps the offense wasn't world-beating — after all, Retzlaff averaged just 4.9 yards per attempt and threw one touchdown pass — but it did exactly what was needed against a Big Ten defense.
The biggest offensive positives came in the success found throwing to receiver Omari Hayes (he caught all nine targets) and the consistent success on the ground (Maurice Turner averaged over six yards a pop).
South Alabama Jaguars Betting Preview
Youth doesn't begin to describe the South Alabama movement seen in Week 1 – 24 total players made their South Alabama debut against Morgan State.
The Jaguars ground out a 38-21 victory over the FCS visitors thanks to an excellent game from running back Kentrel Bullock (127 yards, two touchdowns).
Starting quarterback Bishop Davenport was efficient in the few opportunities he was given, completing 12 of 14 passes for 166 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
If there was any concern, it was from the 56 plays from scrimmage run by South Alabama, among the fewest in a victory all weekend. It was largely due to the defense not getting off the field promptly, as Morgan State pieced together four drives of at least seven plays.
The defense also gave up a few big plays. It couldn't capitalize on a touchdown called back by holding (Morgan State scored a few plays later), and five plays counted as explosive.
For the most part, South Alabama controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides, but late downs were the bane of the game – the Jaguars were poor on both offense and defense.
Those woes need to end in Week 1, or South Alabama could really stumble in its upcoming stretch (Tulane, Auburn, Coastal Carolina, North Texas).
Tulane vs South Alabama Pick, Betting Analysis
Spotting Tulane 7.5 points at open wasn't enough, and the line quickly moved to -10.5.
That number may still not be enough this week, as some of the issues apparent for South Alabama in Week 1 could really come to hurt them in Week 2.
Tulane offers a much more robust rushing attack, something the Jaguars didn't defend very well. Nearly half of Morgan State's rushes went for at least four yards and, despite two drive-ending fumbles, Morgan State averaged 30 yards per possession.
The added dimension this week is that Tulane's quarterback presents a significant rushing threat, something the last opponent didn't bring to the table.
I'd also expect the battle at the line of scrimmage isn't won so handily by South Alabama. Last week, the Jags managed to generate over a yard more of push than Morgan State (2.21 offensive line yards per carry versus 1.2).
This week could be one where Tulane generates a few more explosive plays — outside Retzlaff's touchdown, the Green Wave generated almost nothing — especially on the ground.
South Alabama's late down inefficiency could really come calling this week. Tulane is a very well-disciplined team that both takes care of the ball and gets off the field on third and fourth down.
In both years at Troy, Sumrall managed to beat South Alabama (10-6 in 2022, 28-10 in 2023). The offense in place is still Major Applewhite's, but he's now the head coach. The new offensive coordinator, Paul Petrino, was an internal promotion. Sumrall knows the scheme, and he knows what works to shut it down.
I'm jumping on Tulane before the value is erased. The Green Wave should be frontrunners for the College Football Playoff the remainder of the season, though USF got its flowers in Week 1.
Pick: Tulane -10.5 (-110, BetMGM)
