What Tulane needs to happen to win the College Football Playoff

For the first time in College Football Playoff history, there will be multiple representatives from the Group of Five in the bracket. It only took two years and the historic collapse of the ACC, but here we are!

Tulane, champions of the American, landed as the No. 11 seed and now face a daunting path to a national championship run. But never say never in college football: Sometimes things just go your way and all it takes is a team snatching its opportunity.

What Tulane needs to happen to win the CFP

First round: No. 11 Tulane vs. No. 6 Ole Miss

The Green Wave was handily beaten by the Rebels 45-10 back in September, but that just provides head coach Jon Sumrall plenty of tape to study and correct his team's mistakes. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff was unable to get any kind of rhythm going, throwing for just measly 56 yards on five completions. He was the team's leading rusher in the contest as well, so there's one area for improvement.

All that being said, Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss is inexperienced and it'll only take a couple mistakes for Tulane to take advantage. Combined with losing head coach Lane Kiffin, the Rebels could be marching into the perfect storm for the Green Wave to wash them away in a huge first-round upset.

Quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl: No. 11 Tulane vs. No. 3 Georgia

Here's where the football gods need to seriously intervene. The Bulldogs are arguably the most dangerous team in the bracket and coming off another SEC title makes them look unbeatable. But that's where the David and Goliath factor may come into play.

Just like it would need to play at the top of its game against Ole Miss, Tulane needs play even better and hope for some crucial mistakes by Georgia QB Gunner Stockton. The turnover margin may be where the game is won or lost: The Green Wave turned over Northwestern four times in its August 23-3 victory. The Wildcats are nowhere near the Bulldogs' level but that's the kind of aggressiveness Tulane needs in the quarterfinal.

Semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl: No. 11 Tulane vs. No. 10 Miami

Again, Tulane needs a lot of breaks to go its way to find favorable matchups deep in the bracket. Here, it would need No. 10 Miami — arguably the most controversial team in the bracket — to silence its haters by defeating both No. 7 Texas A&M and defending champion Ohio State.

This matchup on paper, however, becomes much more winnable for Tulane. The playing field is leveled with an ACC foe on the opposite sideline, especially after the Green Wave vanquished two SEC opponents. It defeated ACC champion Duke in September, 34-27, and can outduel Miami QB Carson Beck, who has thrown 10 interceptions this year.

National championship: No. 11 Tulane vs. No. 8 Oklahoma

Let's be real about this: No. 12 James Madison isn't walking through that door and there's literally nobody else on the other side of the bracket Tulane can keep up with. So, as realistic as things can get, No. 8 Oklahoma is who the Green Wave would have to settle for in a best-case scenario.

The Sooners' defense is a menace, but QB John Mateer has shown he's not the most consistent in the sport. Tulane's theme this entire run has been forcing the other team into mistakes. They'll need a few from Oklahoma to have a shot at a national title, but it's not an impossible task.

Green Wave fans will have to pull out their voodoo dolls for opposing quarterbacks and hope the injuries pile up across the bracket so their team have the best chances possible.