NEW ORLEANS — In what has been a widely expected announcement, the Tulane Green Wave will face the USC Trojans in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl on January 2, one of the New Years Six bowl games.
Tulane earned the Cotton Bowl bid after defeating Central Florida in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Championship on Saturday.
The win cemented the Green Wave as the top ranked "Group of Five" team in the country, guaranteeing their spot in one of college football's most prestigious bowl games.
The Green Wave finished the 2022 season with an 11-2 record, an unprecedented turnaround from their abysmal 2-10 record in 2021. The team is led by junior running back Tyjae Spears, who was recently named the AAC Offensive Player of the Year, as well as junior quarterback Michael Pratt, who threw for over 2,700 yards and 25 touchdowns this season with a 65% completion percentage.
The Green Wave will face USC, a former perennial college football superpower who also had a turnaround season that brought them back into the national spotlight. New head coach Lincoln Riley led the Trojans to an 11-2 record, and the team was in line to qualify for the College Football Playoff before losing to conference arch nemesis Utah in the PAC-12 Championship Game on Friday.
The Trojans are led by potential Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Caleb Williams. Williams has lit the college football world on fire in his first two seasons, and threw for over 4,000 yards with 37 touchdowns and only four interceptions this season. It is worth noting, however, that Williams suffered a hamstring injury in the PAC-12 Championship Game, and it is currently unclear if he will be available for the Cotton Bowl.
The 2023 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is on January 2 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It will air at noon on ESPN.