CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
TULANE GREEN WAVE vs ARMY BLACK KNIGHTS
SERIES RECORD: Army leads series 13-9-1
TULANE GREEN WAVE NOTES
Title Time
Tulane is just the fourth school in league history to make three AAC Championship Game appearances and the third to do it in consecutive years (Memphis 2017-19, Cincinnati 2019- 21). 32-8 Tulane is
32-8
in its last 40 games over the last two-plus seasons. The 32 victories since the start of the 2022 season ranks fourth nationally behind Georgia (38), Michigan (35) and Oregon (34).
Conference Win Streak
The Green Wave won 17 consecutive American Athletic Conference games (regular season), a figure that had been the nation’s longest conference win streak prior to its 34-24 defeat at the hands of Memphis.
Tulane’s 17 straight league victories dated back to the 2022 season (11/17/22 vs. SMU – 11/28/24 vs. Memphis) and was tied with UCF (9/30/2017 – 9/28/19) and Cincinnati (10/2/20 – 10/29/22) for the league’s all-time record of consecutive conference victories.
The Green Wave has 22 conference wins since the start of the 2022 season, three more than the program’s total during its first eight seasons in the American Athletic Conference.
Road Warriors
The program has now won 15 of its last 16 road games. Its only defeat since the beginning of the 2022 season was the 34-19 defeat at the hands of #13 Oklahoma earlier this season.
Turnovers!
Tulane, who forced two turnovers at Navy, has now won 27 of its last 31 games when forcing a turnover.
Lighting it Up
Tulane has scored 50 points three times this season, the most for the program in any one season since 1998 (four). Tulane has also scored 40 points six times, which ties the 2022 Cotton Bowl season for the most such games since 1998. Getting (Non-) Offensive The Green Wave leads the nation in both non-offensive touchdowns (8) and defensive scores (6). The team paces the FBS in both pick-6s (5) and kickoff returns for touchdown (tied-2).
Balanced Attack
The Green Wave is one of just seven schools nationally to average at least 200 yards on the ground and at least that many through the air
Glorious Ground Game
Tulane’s run defense has a strong recent history of stinginess toward opposing running backs. On the team front, the Green Wave has outrushed the opposition in 29 of its last 38 games (including 23 of its last 28). In such contests, Tulane holds a 27-2 record (losses: 2022 vs. Southern Miss, 2023 vs. Ole Miss). This season, Tulane is 9-0 when outrushing the opponent.
ARMY BLACK KNIGHTS NOTES
#24 ARMY HOSTS AAC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
#24 (AP) Army (10-1, 8-0) captured the American Athletic Conference regular season title and No.1 seed with the right to host the championship game with a 29-24 win last week against UTSA. In its first season in the AAC, Army took the league by storm, winning all eight conference matchups by an average score of 35.5 to 13.38. QB Bryson Daily has been the driving force for Army, who with his 25 rushing touchdowns has tied The American’s single season record for rushing touchdowns set by former Navy QB Will Worth in 2016. Daily finished the AAC regular season leading the conference in rushing yards (1,354, 5.7 avg.) despite having played in less than two games than most competitors (missed one to injury, Army-Navy still scheduled). Army is 14-1 in its last 15 games dating back to last season. Tulane (9-3, 7-1) saw its 17-game winning streak in American Athletic Conference regular-season games came to an end last Thursday night vs. Memphis, which matched the longest streak in conference history and was the longest active streak among FBS programs. The Green Wave was paced by sophomore RB Makhi Hughes, who rushed for 1,306 yards (5.4 avg.), second most in the conference to Daily and rushed for 15 TDs. This is Tulane’s third consecutive season appearing in the AAC title game, winning the AAC Championship in 2022 and then winning the Cotton Bowl over USC.
1ST AND 10
• Army is ranked #24 in the AP Poll and #23 in the Coaches Poll (Dec. 1, 2024). • Army has maintained a spot in the AP Top 25 for eight consecutive weeks, the longest stretch since being ranked each week of the 1958 season. • Army is playing in a conference championship for the first time in school history. • Army is the eighth team to finish 8-0 in American Athletic Conference play, joining UCF in 2013, 2017 and 2018; Cincinnati and Houston in 2021; and Tulane and SMU in 2023. • Army is 14-1 in its last 15 games dating back to last season. •Army finished a perfect 6-0 in the regular season at Michie Stadium for the fourth time under Head Coach Jeff Monken (2017, 2018, 2020). Army is 44-17 (.721%) at home under Monken (2014-pres.). • The Black Knights enter with an eight-game home winning streak. • QB Bryson Daily’s 25 rushing touchdowns are 2nd most in the country, only four behind Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty (28). • Daily scored his 25th rushing touchdown of the season. Since 1956, only 31 players in FBS college football have totaled 25+ rushing scores in a single season. • With one more rushing score Daily will have the most rushing touchdowns in AAC single-season history. • Daily has rushed for 100 yards in nine consecutive games this season, now the most 100-yard games by an Army rusher in single-season history, breaking Mike Mayweather’s (8, 1990) record. • Daily has 1,354 rushing yards, the first Army rusher to eclipse 1,200+ yards since Ahmad Bradshaw (2017). • Next Saturday (12/14) is the 125th Army-Navy Game. Army and Navy have both defeated Air Force this season. This means for the first time since 2017 and just the fifth time since 1978 that the Army-Navy Game will be a winner take all game for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. • On Sunday (12/8), Army will know its bowl game fate, the first bowl game appearance since 2021. It will be Army’s sixth bowl game under Monken.
