Oklahoma vs. Tulane tips, predictions, odds and lines for Week 3 college football game

Tulane was considered one of the Group of Five's biggest playoff contenders entering the season, but this weekend the team is in danger of falling below .500 in college football Week 3 on Saturday against No. 15 Oklahoma.

Tulane had top-ranked Kansas State under pressure for most of last week's home game and, had it not been for a few last-minute mistakes, it could have beaten the Big 12-hoping Wildcats in this matchup.

Oklahoma played a close game against Houston, one of the worst teams in the Big 12, last week, pulling away late in a 16-12 victory in which the Sooners scored just 2 points in the second half and trailed in total yards gained (318 to 249) and first downs (18 to 15).

Looking ahead to this week's matchups, we look at the latest college football predictions from the Football Power Index computer projection model.

The model simulates each NCAA college football game 20,000 times and uses key analytics from both teams to predict outcomes based on a projected point differential per game.

The computers favor the home team in this duel, as Oklahoma is expected to win the game by a majority. 77.7 percent the updated simulations.

Conversely, the Green Wave is expected to emerge as the likely winner from the remaining 22.3 percent by Sims.

Oklahoma is the favorite against Tulane by 13.5 points, according to odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, which lists the total point total for the game at 47.5.

FanDuel lists the moneyline odds for an Oklahoma outright win at -580 and for Tulane at +420.

According to the model's latest projection, Oklahoma is expected to outscore Tulane by 11.9 points on the same field, but that's not enough to make up the difference.

The index predicts Oklahoma will win 6.8 games this season and ranks seventh among SEC teams with a 14.2 percent chance of qualifying for the College Football Playoff.

Tulane ranks second among AAC teams with a 9.9 percent chance of making the 12-team playoffs and is projected to win 8.5 games based on last week's strong performance.

When: Saturday, September 14
Time: 2:30 p.m. Central
TV: ESPN Network

The Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that can be used to predict a team's future performance.

The rankings and result predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team's season and matches, using a combination of key analytics including past results, quality of opponents, team talent, player recruitment and team schedule.

The teams are not ranked by talent as in other rankings, but by projected points advantage per game against an average team on neutral ground.

First place votes in brackets

1. Georgia (54)
2. Texas (4)
3. State of Ohio (5)
4. Alabama
5. Ole Miss
6. Missouri
7. Tennessee
8. Penn State
9. Oregon
10. Miami
11. USC
12. Utah
13. State of Oklahoma
14. State of Kansas
15. Oklahoma
16. LSU
17. Michigan
18. Notre-Dame
19. Louisville
20. Arizona
21. State of Iowa
22. Clemson
23. Nebraska
24. Boston College
25. Northern Illinois

Details… Week 3 AP Top 25 Rankings

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The game odds are updated regularly and are subject to change.

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