Cotton Bowl Betting 2024 Odds, Predictions, Preview

The Tulane Green Wave defeated the USC Trojans 46-45 in the 2023 Cotton Bowl.

Check out last year's coverage here below and tune back in with us soon for the 2024 Cotton Bowl Odds, Picks and Predictions.

The Tulane Green Wave just posted their best record in more than two decades. Tulane has largely toiled in obscurity over its 118-year history of playing collegiate football with just four 10+ win seasons to its credit.

However, the Green Wave were the best Group of Five team this year and earned their first major bowl appearance since 1939 as a result. Tulane will take on the USC Trojans in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Monday, January 2, 2023, at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Tulane Green Wave vs. USC Trojans Betting Prediction

Lincoln Riley met all expectations in his first year in charge of the USC Trojans. After a proverbial “lost decade”, USC roared back to life in 2022 and won the PAC 12 Championship behind Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Caleb Williams.

It’s clear that the Trojans will be a national title contender in 2023, but how will they close out this season? Williams is reportedly going to suit up to play in the Cotton Bowl despite earlier rumors to the contrary, yet a maligned defense that has had major problems throughout the season will likely keep USC from winning a New Year’s Six game.

Score Prediction: Tulane 38, USC 31
Best Bet: Tulane +2 (-110)

Tulane Green Wave vs. USC Trojans Betting Odds

Cotton Bowl Classic Betting Resources

• Date: Monday, January 2, 2023
• TV-Time: ESPN, 1:00 p.m. ET
• Venue: AT&T Stadium
• Location: Arlington, Texas
• Expert Picks

Tulane Green Wave Betting Analysis

This is the biggest game Tulane has played in the 21st Century, so it’s no surprise that there are no opt outs for the Green Wave.

The offense is led by Tyjae Spears, who became the first non-quarterback to be named AAC Offensive Player of the Year last month. Spears ran for 1,376 yards (6.5 YPC) and 15 touchdowns in Willie Fritz’s hybrid option offense.

Michael Pratt was a Second Team All-AAC selection after putting together his best season yet under center for the Green Wave. Pratt completed 64.5% of his passes for 2,776 yards (8.6 YPA) with 25 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also showed his mobility with 395 yards (3.5 YPC) and 10 touchdowns as a runner.

These receivers aren’t great, but they have been able to get the job done in this offense. Shae Wyatt and Duece Watts were the big play threats for Tulane as Wyatt caught 35 passes for 692 yards and seven TDs, while Watts hauled in 31 receptions for 574 yards and eight TDs.

Jha’Quan Jackson, Lawrence Keys III, and tight end Tyrick James are the underneath threats to watch in the passing game.

Tulane’s defense was ranked 30th in Defensive SP+. The Green Wave had one of the most underrated secondaries in the country though, allowing just 6.1 YPA.

Cornerback Jarius Monroe and safety Macon Clark were First Team All-AAC selections, and linebacker Dorian Williams was one of the best defensive players in the conference.

USC Trojans Betting Analysis

Caleb Williams may have brought the enmity of Oklahoma fans when he decided to leave Norman and head to USC with Lincoln Riley, but it’s hard to criticize him for the decision after the numbers he posted this season.

Williams thrived with a collection of great receivers in Riley’s offense, completing 66.1% of his passes for 4,075 yards (9.1 YPA) with 37 touchdowns and four interceptions on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy.

He was also a dangerous runner, averaging 7.8 YPC with 10 rushing touchdowns once you take out sack yardage. However, his mobility may be limited in this game as Williams has been dealing with a hamstring injury.

This offense will be without leading rusher Travis Dye though. The Oregon transfer suffered a season-ending knee injury in November, leading to Stanford transfer Austin Jones taking over as the top running back. Jones ran for 644 yards (5.7 YPC) and 10 touchdowns this season, and he was more of a receiving threat out of the backfield than Dye.

Standout receiver Jordan Addison will skip this game after suffering an ankle injury. Addison was the Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation’s top receiver at Pittsburgh last year, and he led USC with 59 receptions for 875 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022.

Tahj Washington and Mario Williams are excellent receivers in their own right, so the loss of Addison won’t impact the Trojans as much as it would other teams.

USC’s defense is ranked 71st in SP+. The Trojans surrendered 415.1 YPG and struggled against both the run and the pass. Defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu was outstanding and ended up being named PAC 12 Defensive Player of the Year after recording 12.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss this season.

However, there weren’t really any other playmakers on this side of the ball. Defensive backs Mekhi Blackmon and Calen Bullock earned all-conference honors, but their impact will be muted against Tulane’s offense

Cotton Bowl History

The Cotton Bowl began in 1937 and the matchup currently features schools from the Big 12 Conference and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The game takes place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas as the previous venue for this contest was the Cotton Bowl in Dallas from 1937-2009. This game was named the Mobil Cotton Bowl, Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl Classic, and SBC Communications Cotton Bowl Classic, and the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic prior to Goodyear obtaining sponsorship rights in 2015. 

In 2018, Clemson punished Notre Dame in another lopsided semifinal playoff game, 30-3. Favorites have won in 11 of the last 14 installments of this game, and the 'under' has now connected in four of the last five in this Arlington, Tex. bowl game, and the favorite is on a 4-0-1 ATS streak, too.

The most recent favorite to cash was Penn State, who took care of Memphis in 2019 as seven-point favorites, 53-39, marking the first time since USC in 1994 that a team has busted the 50-point mark in a Cotton Bowl.

In 2020, Oklahoma routed Florida by a 55-20 score as the favorite cashed, with the 'over' hitting, too. It was the second straight season a team went for 50 or more points in the Cotton Bowl.

We had a Group of Five team in the 2021 Cotton Bowl Classic, as Cincinnati was the No. 4 seed in the CFP. The Bearcats were no match for No. 1 seed Alabama, as the Crimson Tide rolled to a 27-6 rout. The 33 total points were the least amount of combined points since 2017, when Ohio State topped USC 24-7.