USC vs Tulane odds: Early point spread released for Cotton Bowl

With the all of the college football bowl games now set, it’s time to start looking ahead to the big matchups. That includes the Cotton Bowl, which features USC against Tulane and has the Trojans opening as just 1.5-point favorites based on the odds according to FanDuel.

After losing 47-24 to Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game, USC dropped out of the top four in the College Football Playoff to No. 10 in the final rankings. This marks the first bowl appearance for the Trojans since 2019, as well as their first New Year’s Six bowl since 2017 when they lost to Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

Tulane (11-2) is the only Group of 5 school to make a New Year’s Six Bowl. The Green Wave claimed the American Athletic Conference title this past weekend with a 45-28 victory against UCF.

The Trojans are led by quarterback Caleb Williams, the frontrunner to win the Heisman Trophy. Through 13 games this season, Williams has passed for 4,075 yards, 37 touchdowns and just four interceptions, while also adding 372 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. However, he suffered a hamstring injury in the Pac-12 Championship Game that has put his status in question.

With lead running back Travis Dye already out for the season, the Trojans could find themselves extremely shorthanded for the Cotton Bowl matchup. If Williams were to miss, redshirt freshman Miller Moss may step into a starting role.

Tulane leaning on its rushing attack led by junior Tyjae Spears. He leads the team with 1,376 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns on 212 attempts (6.5 yards per carry). That sets up well against a USC defense that ranked seventh in the Pac-12 in rushing defense (148.6 yards per game).

With a little less than a month until the Cotton Bowl, expect the odds to continue to change as more injury information and opt outs come in. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium in Arlington and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN.