Recap of Last Season

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane improved upon an abysmal 2-10 record and improved to six wins and a postseason bowl berth under first year head coach Philip Montgomery. The former Baylor offensive coordinator completely transformed the Golden Hurricane offensive strategy and made them among the top 15 offenses in the country. The defense was definitely the Achilles' heel for the team as it ranked 125th out of 128 teams in Division I FBS football. The team won three conference games last season, yet the victories were over Southern Methodist University (SMU), University of Central Florida (UCF), and Tulane, who were among the worst teams in the American Conference. Tulsa aims to improve in all facets of the game, clinch another bowl bid, and, most importantly, compete for a conference title.

Schedule Analysis

The Golden Hurricane begin the 2016 season at home against the San Jose State Spartans on September 3 and then travels to Columbus, Ohio for an historic matchup against Ohio State University the following week. On September 17, Tulsa squares off against a Division I FCS school, North Carolina A&T at home and then faces Fresno State out in California the next week in order to wrap up its non-conference games. After a bye week, conference play begins with a Friday night game on October 7 against the SMU Mustangs to be televised on an ESPN network. The rest of the schedule consists of road games at Houston, Memphis, the Naval Academy, and UCF, as well as home games against Tulane (homecoming) on October 22, East Carolina, and Cincinnati on the Friday after Thanksgiving. All in all, it is a fairly balanced schedule, but requires sharp mental and physical toughness from Tulsa in order to improve upon last season's campaign.

Players to Watch

Quarterback Dane Evans enters into his final season in the starting role and has consistently improved at the position each year, most impressively running a completely new offense last season in Montgomery's scheme. If history continues its course, we should see improvement in Evans and hopefully more explosive fireworks in Golden Hurricane offense. Other returning starters to watch out for are wide receiver Keevan Lucas, who missed the last nine games of the 2015 season due to injury, and running back D'Angelo Brewer, who rushed for over 800 yards last season, and should be primed to go for at least 1,000 yards. Defensive players who are in position to have great seasons include linebackers Craig Suits and Trent Martin, and cornerback Matt Linscott. Overall, the team returns 13 starters, which provides opportunities for new starters to cherish their roles and make their mark.

Conclusion

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane are in a favorable position to improve this season, yet need to get over the hump of getting a win against a top team in the American Conference. Games against Navy and Houston provide ample opportunity for this to be achieved. The team provides a mix of younger and more veteran players, yet Tulsa fans should expect a few more seasons until the team can obtain the caliber of the Todd Graham coached teams. If Tulsa can win a majority of its home games and steal some games on the road, it will be considered a good, solid season in Montgomery's second year.

Now for Some Projections!

The season schedule, including date, time (Central Time), and TV listing, is summarized below, along with projected wins and losses:

Game 1: San Jose State @ Tulsa (Sat, Sept. 3, 6pm, CBS Sports Network) Projection: Win

Game 2: Tulsa @ Ohio State (Sat, Sept. 10, 2:30pm, ABC) Projection: Loss

Game3: North Carolina A&T @ Tulsa (Sat. Sept. 17, 1pm, ESPN3) Projection: Win

Game 4: Tulsa @ Fresno State (Sat, Sept. 24, 3:30pm, CBS Sports Network) Projection: Win

Game 5: SMU @ Tulsa (Fri, Oct. 7, 7pm, ESPN2 or ESPNU) Projection: Win

Game 6: Tulsa @ Houston (Sat, Oct. 15, Time TBA, TV TBA) Projection: Loss

Game 7: Tulane @ Tulsa HOMECOMING (Sat, Oct. 22, Time TBA, TV TBA) Projection: Win

Game 8: Tulsa @ Memphis (Sat Oct. 29, Time TBA, TV TBA) Projection: Loss

Game 9: East Carolina @ Tulsa (Sat, Nov. 5, Time TBA, TV TBA) Projection: Win

Game 10: Tulsa @ Navy (Sat, Nov. 12, 11am, CBS Sports Network) Projection: Loss

Game 11: Tulsa @ UCF (Sat, Nov. 19, Time TBA, TV TBA) Projection: Win

Game 12: Cincinnati @ Tulsa (Fri, Nov. 25, Time TBA, ESPN network) Projection: Win

Overall Projection: 8-4 (5-3 American)