While the BYU Cougars still likely have work to do Saturday to earn a berth in the College Football Playoff, former Cougar quarterback Jake Retzlaff is in.
On Friday night, Retzlaff and the Tulane Green Wave beat the North Texas Mean Green 34-21 in the American Conference title game. Currently No. 20 in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Green Wave will surely end up being one of the five highest-ranked conference champions in the country and thus get an automatic berth to the CFP.
North Texas was ranked No. 24 heading into the game. ESPN’s Heather Dinich wrote Friday night that Tulane “will be the committee’s fourth-highest ranked conference champion. The Green Wave will earn the No. 11 seed and face the committee’s No. 6 team on the road in the first round.”
In the win, Retzlaff completed 13 of 22 passes for 145 yards with no touchdowns but no interceptions. On the ground, however, he finished with 49 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns.
For the season, Retzlaff has completed 209 of 334 pass attempts for 2,717 yards with 14 touchdowns against six interceptions. On the ground, he has rushed for 561 yards on 103 carries with 14 touchdowns.
Earlier this week, Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall was hired for the same position at Florida and is working both jobs until Tulane’s season ends.
The field for the College Football Playoff will be announced on Sunday.