Most of Louisiana is recovering today from the devastation of Hurricane Ida, with New Orleans especially hard hit. The Week 1 season opener in that city between Tulane and No. 2 Oklahoma reportedly will be moved to Norman because of it – assuming it's still played (there is a possibility that it's canceled outright). The Sooners opened as 26.5-point favorites at Caesars Sportsbook but that number is sure to rise.
If you bet on this matchup already, it's going to be voided at Caesars and all sportsbooks because of the shift: "If there is a change of venue for an event, for any reason, bets placed on this event prior to the location change announcement will be void," according to a Caesars spokesperson.
The damage was so excessive around the Tulane campus that the Green Wave might not be able to play at home Week 2, either, against Morgan State. The football team has relocated to Birmingham, Ala., where it will practice throughout the week.
This is obviously a bit of a break for Oklahoma, which will now play four straight home games to open the season, and OU's only true road game in its first seven will be at Kansas State on Oct. 2.
The Sooners bring back star quarterback Spencer Rattler, the +600 favorite at Caesars to win the 2021 Heisman Trophy and a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. They are +450 fourth favorites to win the national title and have an Over/Under win total of 11. It's doubtful that Oklahoma is an underdog once in the regular season.
Tulane is a solid American Athletic Conference program under highly-regarded Coach Willie Fritz, who was mentioned for a few Power 5 openings this offseason. The Green Wave were 6-6 last year – one of 15 schools nationally to play 12 or more games – to reach a bowl for a third straight season, and they bring back 16 starters, including dual-threat QB Michael Pratt.
Pratt's 20 touchdown passes last year were the most in The American and were the most at the FBS level by a true freshman. He also rushed for eight scores. In total, Pratt accounted for 168 points, which ranked 14th nationally. Pratt was the only player from the AAC named to the 247Sports.com Freshman All-America team.
This will be the second all-time meeting between Tulane and Oklahoma – the Sooners were also ranked second nationally at home in 2017 and won 56-14. The Green Wave have a single victory over a ranked team in the past 35-plus years, and that was in 2020 over No. 25 Army.
Which Fantasy Football sleepers, breakouts and busts should you target and fade? And which QB shocks the NFL with a top-five performance? Join SportsLine now to get 2021 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that called Josh Allen's huge season.
