Tulane (6-6) vs Louisiana (7-6)
The Cure Bowl will kick off on Saturday December 15th at 2:30 EST in Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida and can be seen on CBS Sports. It would have been much more fun to see these two teams play in the New Orleans Bowl, but an all-Louisiana matchup will still be exciting.
How they got here: Tulane Green Wave
This will be the Green Wave’s first bowl game since 2013 and the first under third year head coach Willie Fritz. Tulane was able to turn two upsets against Memphis and USF into blowout wins and finally secured bowl eligibility in the final week against Navy. QB Justin McMillan replaced Jonathon Banks after he got hurt and filled in nicely for him, however, their triple option offense still relies on their backs Darius Bradwell and Corey Dauphine for most of their production. On defense, Tulane is led by senior linebacker Zachary Harris, who had a team leading 87 tackles this season. Senior cornerback Donnie Lewis Jr. has also been important, breaking up 16 passes and intercepting 3 of them.
How they got here: Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
Louisiana and first year head coach Billy Nappier were able to win the weaker of the two new Sun Belt divisions this year because of their mid-season win over Arkansas State. They lost the SBC championship game 30-19, but Appalachian State was in control most of the game. The Ragin’ Cajuns are led by the offense, with quarterback Andre Nunez throwing for over 2000 yards and 19 touchdowns. Meanwhile, running backs Trey Ragas and Elijah Mitchel combined for over 2000 yards on the ground this year. The defense struggled, giving up 33.7 points per game.
Player to Watch: QB Andre Nunez(ULL)
When Nunez throws for over 140 yards this year, the team is 7-1; When he goes under 140 passing yards, they’re 0-5. If Nunez can have success against a Tulane secondary that gives up big plays, UL Lafayette should win.
Betting Lines
Tulane is currently favored by 3.5 in Vegas and the over/under is at 59.0.
Prediction
I would take UL Lafayette to win this one outright, so if you’re into betting take those points. Both of these defenses have struggled with giving up explosive plays, so there’s at least a chance that it breaks into a bit of shootout.