Tulane Green Wave travel to face Charlotte 49ers in an American Athletic Conference matchup on Friday night at Jerry Richardson Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.
Charlotte (1-6, 1-2 AAC) earned its first win of the season last week, a 38-31 road victory over Temple. Tulane (3-4, 1-2) suffered a 42-19 loss to UTSA but remains in bowl contention. Tulane holds a 2-0 series lead, including a 27-0 shutout last year.
The Green Wave enter as 8.5-point favorites with an over/under of 47.5 points. Tulane's money line is -345, while Charlotte sits at +275.
SportsLine's projection model, after 10,000 simulations, favors the Over 47.5 points, projecting 49 combined points and giving the Over a 56% value probability. The model also indicates one side of the spread hits nearly 70% of the time in an A-rated pick.
Tulane's offense averages 20.3 points per game, led by rushers Johnnie Daniels (394 yards, 6.0 per carry) and Maurice Turner (315 yards, 8.5 per carry), though red zone struggles and turnovers have limited scoring. Defensively, Tulane allows 417 yards per game.
Charlotte's defense ranks among the nation's worst, surrendering 40.6 points per game. Quarterback Cole Gonzales has thrown for 802 yards with seven interceptions. The Over has hit in three consecutive 49ers games.
The SportsLine model enters Week 9 on a 68-59 run on top-rated college football picks, returning nearly $400 for $100 players.
