Jags Jungle Picks: South Alabama at Tulane

South Alabama had a successful 2026 debut when they defeated the FCS Southeastern Louisiana Lions 39-14 on a sultry night in Mobile. In many ways it was a perfect opener for them: a relatively easy win against a competent opponent but with enough flaws exposed to let everyone know there was still work to be done and what to focus on.

And focus they must, as this week the level of competition takes a big leap when the Jaguars travel to New Orleans to face Tulane. The Green Wave ended 2025 strongly as they received a bid to the College Football Playoffs, but some may forget that earlier in that season they came to Hancock Whitney Stadium and escaped with a two-point win against eventual 4-8 South Alabama.

Since that Saturday last year it would appear that the Jaguars have improved while Tulane, who lost their head coach to Florida and a lot of their talent as well, seem to have taken a step back based on their uninspiring 17-3 loss to Duke to open the season.

Has South Alabama closed the gap? Is Tulane, a 10.5 point favorite (as of this writing), still the heavyweight in this fight?

Our panel of self-appointed experts weighs in.

Doug Konkel

I don't know what it is about Tulane that makes me want to win these games so badly (probably the tangible condescension from a historically poor program), but it's very real.

Tulane fans, who have been feeling themselves the last few years, are lining up firing squads for their athletic director and coaching staff after the loss to Duke on Saturday. Not only did they give up 227 yards rushing to star RB Nate Sheppard to a team that really couldn't pass the ball, not only because they themselves only rushed for 54 yards and 2.1 yards per carry as a team and were outgained 258 to 381 overall and not only because they recorded no sacks and no tackles for a loss (a pretty rare non-accomplishment) from a front six/seven that was supposed to be a strength (although career Jaguar DL Ed Smith IV did record eight tackles for them). In general they were angry about the perceived lack of preparation by the team, from offensive playcalls to tackling form. I'm sure my colleagues go into how this is not to be wondered at when you go from head coach Willie Fritz to Jon Sumrall to Will Hall?

In the Duke game, the running game struggles could be attributed, in part, to the absence of two projected starters in the offensive line and the injury to another during the game, If any or all of them return, that could change the outlook considerably. Another significant question revolves around the quarterback. Former ULL and Houston player Zeon Chriss-Gremillion started the game, but his old tendencies of getting passes batted down at the line and a general lack of accuracy to anything beyond the short game contributed to a shutout in the first half. He gave way to Kadin Semonza, a former starter at Ball State, who did inject some juice into the passing game but who took three sacks behind the porous offensive line.

Tulane should and probably does have more talent across the board than South Alabama, such is life in the transfer portal/NIL/revenue sharing age. However, I believe USA has an edge in coaching ability over the Green Wavers and I also believe the Jag players are feeling more confident at the moment.

Apparently the degenerate gamblers see something in South Alabama. The line opened at 11.5 on Sunday morning and by midday the money had dropped it to 10.5. It's currently at 9.5 as of this writing.

Covering the original spread? Automatic yes. Covering the current spread? Still a safe bet.

Jaguars to win outright?

I'm going to say YES. Kicker Davis Little will play a key role as South Alabama wins by two when the final whistle sounds.

I'm all in.

Caleb Seaver

Mobile versus New Orleans, Mardi Gras versus Mardi Gras, South Alabama versus Tulane, this is a fun matchup anytime we get it. Despite not being an official rivalry game, it certainly feels like one, despite just 4 all time meetings (Tulane leads the series 3-1). Last year's game was a thriller that saw South Alabama jump out to a quick 14-0 lead before Tulane roared back, scoring 27 unanswered. However, in the 4th quarter South Alabama came to life and nearly completed a big comeback, but missed a game tying two point conversion to lose 33-31.

This year the two teams look a lot different, Tulane lost head coach Jon Sumrall and replaced him with another familiar name to Jag fans, former Southern Miss coach Will Hall. Tulane also has a new quarterback and a completely new look offense. This new offense certainly got a test last week against a decent Duke team, and it was a test they failed. Tulane struggled to move the ball on the ground and finish drives, and the passing game was not much better. The defense was a lot better though, as they shut down the Duke passing game, holding the Blue Devils to just 131 yards through the air. Tulane did struggle a bit against the run, but did a fairly good job of keeping the Blue Devils out of the end zone.

For South Alabama it was a weird game, a game in which the Jags did a lot well, and a lot of things not so well. South started the game really strong, scoring 19 points quickly, the offense looking flashy and fun, much like the team from a couple years ago. However, the up tempo, fast paced first quarter offense looked completely different in the second and third quarters. South Alabama struggling to pass the ball, a lot of predictable playcalling, and many of the problems from last year rearing their head again. By the fourth quarter things looked a lot better, but left me with some questions, was this early season learning, conservative playcalling to limit film for other teams, or are there some potential issues coming. Second and third quarters aside, it was not a bad game. South Alabama ran the ball well, the defense looked much better, and the special teams unit looked significantly improved.

Looking ahead to this week though, I'm not quite as optimistic. Tulane has a solid defense that will require South Alabama to make adjustments throughout the game. If South can establish the run game early, and allow Bishop to take shots downfield (if the playcalling allows it too), the Jags definitely have a shot to win, and maybe win comfortably. However, as much as I would like that to happen, I am not sure that they will. Give me Tulane to win, but not cover in a 20-14 defensive duel.

Tres Harrison

I won't sugarcoat it. I despise Tulane as much as one can a non-conference opponent. I don't like their superior attitude, I don't like their jabs at the city of Mobile. But, man you've got to respect them as competition. They play hard, they compete, and they win some pretty big games. But this stands to be our year, because BOY HOWDY they had a bad showing on Saturday. 3-14 on third downs and 0-2 on fourths, Tulane flat out could not move the ball against Duke. But, where they did succeed, could spell disaster for the Jags.

Tulane threw for a lot on Saturday, USA allowed a lot of passing yardage on Saturday. It is going to be rough if the Jags can't get that under control. Rack up some sacks, play good coverage, pray, anything to stop that passing game. We had the run pretty well covered, much like Duke did against Tulane. If there is one area that will lose us this game, it is Tulane's ability to sling the ball. That being said, Tulane's defense is... less than stellar. Poor tackling and a lack of commitment to run defense spelled disaster in the form of 250 yards. South Alabama had a stat line against SELA that looks very similar to Duke's. That makes me optimistic. Bishop Davenport can run and throw some pretty high percentage passes. Keeping our foot on the gas offensively is going to be a must.

With the matchup looking pretty alright for the Jags, I think we have two distinct advantages going for us. Firstly, Tulane had a WHOPPING 15 penalties for 104 yards. That is not great, it is also extremely difficult to fix in a week. If their play stays sloppy, expect South to capitalize with some points. South's other advantage is more of a feeling and a hope than anything. Nothing we did on Saturday seemed incredibly aggressive. The playcalling felt more akin to a showcase and examination of the team's fundamental abilities as opposed to an attempt to beat our opponents down. We found a few weaknesses and then poked and prodded until we wound up with 39 points. All of that is a great look for us. (Even if we randomly forgot how to play football for about 20 minutes of gametime.) If we were just keeping our stronger and specific looks secret, we did a fantastic job. If we maintain the same gameplan as this past Saturday, we'll likely be in trouble.

This will be a tough test of the Jags' ability to win football games. Tulane looked subpar but not unsalvageable. South Alabama looked strong but in short bursts and with some glaring issues. All of that being said, I am going to stay the course and believe in Coach Applewhite. Your University of South Alabama Jaguars will let the good times roll to a 10 point win.