How did Tulane's Opponents Fare in Week Three?

BY JAKE WEINSTOCK

Tulane (3-0, 0-0), now having beaten Northwestern, South Alabama and Duke, heads to Oxford where No. 13 Ole Miss (3-0, 2-0) awaits them as a 11.5 point favorite. The Green Wave will take on the Rebels at Vaught Hemingway Stadium at 2:30 pm CT on Saturday (ESPN, 106.7 The Ticket). If Tulane intends to be in the College Football Playoff conversation at the end of the year, their strength of schedule will of course be a factor. This series aims to track how Tulane's 12 opponents are faring, each week:

Northwestern (1-2 -- lost to Tulane 23-3 in week 1)

The Wildcats took FCS Western Illinois to the woodshed in week 2, but sometimes in life (and in football), you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug. Northwestern hosted No. 4 Oregon this past weekend in Evanston and lost 34-14. They did manage to cover the 24.5 point spread, and the Ducks' performance was unimpressive enough to drop them from No. 4 to No. 6 in this week's AP Poll, so there's that. The Wildcats should be looking to rack up a pair of wins in the next two weeks, as they host UCLA and then ULM.

@ South Alabama (1-2 -- lost to Tulane 33-31 in week 2)

South Alabama hung decently tough on the road this past weekend, in Auburn, falling to the Tigers by a final score of 31-15. While the Jaguars were relatively efficient on third downs and threw the ball with some success, it's tough to win in that environment against a more-talented opponent when you rush for 3.3 yards per carry and lose the turnover battle 2-0. South Alabama now hosts Coastal Carolina this weekend, before they take a trip to Denton, next weekend, where they'll square off with North Texas.

@ No. 13 Ole Miss (3-0), September 20, 2025

The Rebels squeaked past Arkansas last weekend, in Oxford, by a score of 41-35, despite allowing 526 yards. Backup quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, filling in for the injured Austin Simmons, was efficient -- finishing with 353 yards while going 21/29 (12.2 yards per attempt) with a touchdown no interceptions. After hosting the Wave, the Rebels will host No. 3 LSU on September 27.

@ Tulsa (1-2), September 27, 2025

The Golden Hurricane has now dropped back-to-back games, after losing 42-23 at home this past weekend to visiting Navy. They actually trailed 42-17 with just over six minutes to play before notching a garbage touchdown to make the score look more competitive. Even worse? They actually forced turnovers on Navy's three possessions, allowing the Golden Hurricane to jump out to a 14-0 lead that was quite obviously short-lived. Tulsa travels to Oklahoma State this weekend before hosting Tulane on September 27 to open conference play.

vs. East Carolina (2-1), October 9, 2025

Well, I think it's fair to say that the run that Coastal Carolina had under former head coach Jamey Chadwell (2019-2022) is officially over after the Chanticleers lost 38-0 at home to East Carolina, who is seeking to establish themselves as one of the better teams in the American Conference. The Pirates were just a 7-point road favorite last weekend, and now host BYU as a 7-point home underdog. After hosting the Cougars, East Carolina will host Army before a week 6 bye (the same weekend that Tulane has their first of two) before they visit Yulman Stadium on Thursday, October 9.

vs. Army (1-1), October 18, 2025

Army was on a bye this past weekend, and now hosts North Texas before traveling to East Carolina and then UAB.

@ UTSA (1-2), October 30, 2025

The Roadrunners picked up their first win of the year this past Saturday over visiting Incarnate Ward (FCS) and now go out in search of their second, as they play as a 4.5 point road favorite in Fort Collins, against Colorado State. Owen McCown, UTSA quarterback and son of former NFL quarterback Josh McCown (gosh I feel old) was a sparkling 29/35 this past Saturday, racking up 4 touchdown throws against 0 interceptions. The Roadrunners won the turnover battle 3-0, en route to a comfortable 48-20 win.

@ Memphis (3-0), November 7, 2025

The Tigers continue to roll through their non-conference schedule, now having defeated Troy 28-7, despite being just a 4.5 point road favorite. They outgained the Trojans by a margin of 431 to 112 yards, holding Troy to an average of 2.2 yards per pass attempt and 1.7 yards per rushing attempt. They now host Arkansas at the Liberty Bowl, and welcome the Razorbacks as a 7.5 point home underdog. Thereafter, the Tigers will travel to Boca Raton where they'll face Florida Atlantic for the conference opener.

vs. FAU (1-2), November 15, 2025

Speaking of Florida Atlantic, the Owls had a pretty miserable showing for the American this past weekend, as they traveled down I-95 to face Florida International. FAU was a 1.5 point road underdog and lost 38-28, needing a 4th quarter touchdown to get within 2 scores of the Panthers. They will try to regroup over a bye, this weekend, before hosting Memphis on September 27, as mentioned above.

@ Temple (2-1), November 22, 2025

The Owls run at an undefeated season has come to an end, as the visiting No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners squeezed past Temple and escaped from Lincoln Financial Field with a 42-3 win. Temple was narrowly out-gained by a total of 515 to 105 yards, but did rack up an impressive 12 punts, as they avoided any turnovers. Temple now travels to Atlanta to take on No. 18 Georgia Tech, where they feel a little unlikely to pick up their third win of the season as a 24-point underdog. They then return home for a bye before hosting UTSA on October 3.

vs. Charlotte (1-2), November 29, 2025

The Niners picked up their first win of the season at home this past weekend, 42-35, over something called Monmouth (FCS). They were tied 35-35 before a game-winning touchdown with 1:30 to play in regulation. They play early this week, hosting Rice on Thursday night, where they've been made a 2.5-point underdog by the market. Charlotte then has a week 5 bye week before taking a trip to Tampa to play USF on October 3.