2025 Tulane Football Predictions: Green Wave Ranked 46th in RJ Young's Ultimate 136
This isn't your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it's my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
- Who do I think is good?
- Why do I think they're good?
- What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where Tulane lands in my Ultimate 136.
Tulane ranking: 46
Last year’s ranking: 66
Top player: QB Jake Retzlaff: Finished top nine in the Big 12 last season in pass yards (2,947), pass TDs (20) and TDs responsible for (26).
RJ's take: This program has won 32 games in the last three years, including 9-5 under Jon Sumrall in 2024. It was also pillaged last season. Darian Mensah signed for $8 million to play at Duke. Makhi Hughes left for Oregon. Alex Bauman left for the Miami Hurricanes. Rayshawn Pleasant left for Auburn and Parker Petersen left for Wisconsin. In all, eight Tulane players from 2024 are Power 4 players in 2025.
I need to see former Iowa QB Brendan Sullivan or Ball State QB Kadin Semonza make plays at QB for the Green Wave before I believe it, but I am intrigued by Ty Thompson, a QB for Oregon and Tulane, making the move to tight end. Still, of the 20 transfers Sumrall brought in all have played at least one game at the FBS level. And that doesn't look that dissimilar to how Curt Cignetti flipped Indiana overnight.
[Check out RJ Young's Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]
Tulane Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (+106) Under 8.5 (-130)
Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school's rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young, and I'll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.