Tulane lands at No. 9 in AP Poll, for first and highest final ranking since 1998

The wave of accolades continues for the Tulane Green Wave in a storybook 2022 season.

The final AP Poll was released Monday night following Georgia’s 65-7 evisceration of TCU in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. You didn’t need to scroll far down the list to find Tulane (12-2, 7-1 AAC), which finished ranked No. 9.

The No. 9 ranking is Tulane’s highest AP finish since its undefeated 1998 campaign, when it landed at No. 7 in the final poll. This marks the eighth time the Green Wave earned with a final ranking beside their name, also attaining the feat in 1938, 1939, 1948, 1950, 1970, and 1973.

Tulane is the lone ranked team from the American Athletic Conference in the final 2022 AP Poll. The Green Wave now hold the fourth-highest end-of-year ranking in AAC history, only trailing 2021 Cincinnati (No. 4), 2017 UCF (No. 6), and 2015 Houston (No. 8). Of the 10 conference champions this season, they rank third, only trailing Georgia and Michigan — the only two teams in the country with fewer than two losses on their résumé.

Prior to this season, the Green Wave hadn’t even appeared in an AP Poll since 1998. Tulane first cracked the rankings in mid-October after the near quarter century drought, and the team steadily climbed the ladder. They checked in at No. 14 after defeating UCF in the AAC Championship Game and elevated five spots after making a resounding statement in a 46-45 Cotton Bowl win over USC.

Tulane tied Georgia with the most victories over 7+ win teams in 2022 with eight. The Green Wave earned a handful of quality victories throughout this memorable run, including wins over two teams in the final AP Poll — No. 12 USC and No. 14 Kansas State.

The full AP Poll is as follows: