Kansas State vs. Tulane Score Prediction by Expert Football Model

Kansas State is looking to make a small statement in its non-conference schedule, while Tulane is hoping for a spectacular win over a Power Four team when the Green Wave hosts the Wildcats on Saturday in the second week of college football.

Avery Johnson threw two touchdown passes as Kansas State rushed for 283 yards and an average of 9.1 yards per carry in a 41-3 win over UT Martin to start the season. The Wildcats look forward to competing for the expanded Big 12 Conference title in the future.

Tulane overcame the departure of head coach Willie Fritz in its first game of the year, crushing Southeastern Louisiana 52-0, capped by Rayshawn Pleasant's 100-yard pick-six and Darian Mensah's two touchdown passes.

A win in Saturday's game would be a major boost for both teams in their College Football Playoff bids, but especially for Tulane, which is hoping for automatic playoff berth in the Group of Five, while the Wildcats are on the shortlist of serious title contenders for the Big 12.

What can we conclude from this matchup? Let's turn to the SP+ prediction model to preview how Kansas State and Tulane compare ahead of the Week 2 schedule of college football.

The simulations assume that the Wildcats will win the home game against this G5 challenger, but by a closer margin than expected.

SP+ predicts Kansas State to defeat Tulane by a projected score of 33 to 21 and win the game by a projected 12.8 points.

The model gives the Wildcats a solid 79 percent chance of a clear victory in this duel.

SP+ is a “tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of efficiency in college football” that attempts to predict game outcomes by measuring “the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football.”

According to the odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, Kansas State is the favorite by 9.5 points against Tulane, with the total point total for the game set at 47.5.

FanDuel lists the moneyline odds for Kansas State at -345 and for Tulane at +270.

If you use this prediction to bet on the game, you should consider the following…

Other analysis models also predict that the Wildcats will defeat the Green Wave on Saturday.

This includes the College Football Power Index, a computer prediction model that uses data points from both teams to simulate games 20,000 times to select the winners.

Kansas State is predicted to win the duel in just 55.4 percent of computer simulations, while Tulane emerges victorious in the remaining 44.6 percent of simulations.

The computer predicts that with both teams currently playing on the same field, Kansas State is only 4.4 points better than Tulane, which is not enough to make up the difference here.

According to the index, Tulane will win 9.2 games this season, making the team the favorite to win the AAC championship with odds of 45.7 percent.

According to computer calculations, Kansas State will win 8.3 games this season and is third among Big 12 teams with a 14.7 percent chance of winning the conference title.

When: Saturday, September 7
Time: 11am Central
TV: ESPN Network

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

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and needs help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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