Tulane's title defense and Southern Miss's fresh start meet in New Orleans, and neither roster looks much like the one from last fall.
Bush’s Picks
USMTULN
USMTULN
OverUnder
Best BetTulane
Tulane still has more continuity than Southern Miss does — most of the assistant staff stuck around and the defensive front got an upgrade, even with the quarterback job unresolved. Southern Miss is rebuilding from the studs out after losing 17 players to its old coach's new job at Memphis, and history says teams replacing that much production struggle early. Back the home side here.
Southern Miss
+New coach Blake Anderson brings fresh energy, direction
+38 transfers signed to rebuild the roster fast
−Nation's-worst 22% returning production
−Lost 17 players when old coach left for Memphis
Tulane
+Defending American Conference champions, home game
+Portal add Ed Smith IV anchors defensive front
−Lost 9 of 12 all-conference selections
−Four-way QB battle still unresolved by fall
Tulane walks into this one as the reigning American champs, but the roster running it back barely resembles the one that won the league. New head coach Will Hall inherited the job after Jon Sumrall left for Florida, and he's still sorting out a four-way quarterback battle between Kadin Semonza, Houston transfer Zeon Chriss-Gremillion, true freshman Trace Johnson and sophomore Dagan Bruno. Nothing was settled coming out of spring ball, so whoever starts under center for the Green Wave will still be finding his footing this deep into the fall.
Southern Miss brings its own version of chaos. Charles Huff bolted for Memphis after one 7-5 season in Hattiesburg and took 17 players with him, and 11 more left through the portal on top of that. New coach Blake Anderson answered by signing 38 transfers, but the Golden Eagles enter the year returning just 22% of last season's production, dead last nationally by that measure. Only right guard Broderick Roman, kicker Creighton Wilbanks and punter Reed Harradine are back as starters.
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USM Southern Miss
TULN Tulane
That kind of turnover on both sides makes this less a scouting exercise and more a guessing game about who's actually settled by the time Friday night rolls around. Tulane at least kept most of its assistant coaching staff intact outside the coordinator chairs, which should count for something when install time gets compressed.
Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Sep 19?vs UConn—
Sep 12?@ Auburn—
Sep 5?vs Alcorn State—
Tulane Green Wave
Sep 19?@ Kansas State—
Sep 12?vs South Alabama—
Sep 5?@ Duke—
Recent form.
Where Tulane has a real edge is up front on defense. South Alabama transfer Ed Smith IV, a 6'3", 302-pound tackle who started all 12 games for the Jaguars last season, anchors a line now run by new coordinator Tayler Polk. Southern Miss's rebuilt offensive front, by contrast, is trying to jell with mostly new pieces against a Green Wave defense that isn't as thin as the rest of the roster.
Southern Miss Golden Eagles
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Tulane Green Wave
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Both staffs are essentially building the plane in the air, so don't expect a clean, well-oiled product from either sideline on Friday, September 25. This one's more about which program's new pieces look further along than about either team executing a finished system.
