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Andrew Rogers
Cure Bowl Spread: Tulane vs. Louisiana Prediction
The Green Wave were on the verge of missing out on a bowl appearance for the fifth year in year in a row, but won four of their final five games to make the cut. They’ll take on a Louisiana side that closed out its schedule with wins in three of its final four games to earn its second bowl berth in three seasons.
Betting Analysis
The Ragin’ Cajuns come in as underdogs of just over a field goal – and that suits their backers just fine. Louisiana comes in as one of the top cover options in the country, having gone a sizzling 8-2 ATS in their previous 10 games while covering in four straight following a loss. The Green Wave are headed in the opposite direction, with just two covers in their previous seven games and a 1-4 ATS mark in their past five following a win.
Yet, while the teams find themselve far apart in cover trends, they have both made for terrific under plays with the total for the Cure Bowl set at a whopping 59. Tulane has converted the under in five of its previous six games, with three of those contests coming in at 50 or fewer total combined points. Louisiana is a red-hot 7-1 to the under in its previous eight games played in December, and has gone under in four of the past five overall.
Tulane Green Wave
With respect to the Ragin’ Cajuns, the Tulane running game could very well decide the outcome of the Cure Bowl. The Green Wave averaged more than 208 rushing yards per game during the season, good for 30th in the country – and Louisiana has struggled to contain opponents’ ground attacks, having given up more than 220 rushing yards in three of the past four games. If Tulane can make headway in the run game, this one might not be close.
UL Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns
The Ragin’ Cajuns have a robust rush attack in their own right, ranking inside the top 20 in Division I at 229.1 yards per contest. But run defence has been one of the Green Wave’s biggest strengths this season, averaging just 3.95 yards per carry against. Louisiana’s best hope of winning could come down to success on third down, where the Ragin Cajuns ranked 10th in the country at 48.2 percent; Tulane finished 113th at 34.5 percent.
