What’s the significance behind Tulane’s 2018 matchup with Ohio State?

Late last month, it was announced that Tulane will travel to Columbus for a future matchup with Ohio State during the 2018 season — a tremendous addition to the Green Wave’s non-conference schedule that marks the first time the two programs will have met in college football history.

“We are excited for the opportunity to play Ohio State, one of the premier programs in the country,” said executive associate athletics director Brandon Macneill Our coaching staff and players, along with our fans are eager to play against the very best and this should be a great game. There will be a significant number of Tulanians from around the country joining us at the Horseshoe.”

There are many ways in which this move will prove to benefit the Green Wave, because yes, there are more than one.

First off is fan numbers and viewership. Tulane plays in Yulman Stadium, which can seat approximately 30,000 fans. Ohio Stadium can seat almost 105,000, is usually full and, although no television schedule has been announced, it is safe to say that many more eyes than average will be on Tulane.

If the Wave can give the Buckeyes a game or, who knows, maybe even pull the upset then one can expect viewership to rise. Tulane will enter this game with nothing to lose and everything to gain thus making it a threat (just ask any Michigan fan about Appalachian State).

Then there’s the dollar sign that comes attached with this game. Although no official announcement has been made on the revenue Tulane can expect to bring in for showing up in Columbus, Ohio State’s past rewards make things look promising for the Green Wave. Last year the Buckeyes paid Hawaii $1.2 million and doled out nearly $1 million to Western Michigan.

Tulane’s contract is for this game only with no return date set. Despite the fact that both of these schools have maintained a football program for well over a century, Tulane and Ohio State have never played before, making the anticipation all the more great for Wave fans.

In the spirit of these big-time, non-conference matchups, here’s a list of Tulane’s top five such games in school history:

5. October 2, 2010 at Rutgers

Tulane dueled with Rutgers in front of its biggest crowd of the season (nearly 50,000) and ended up coming away with the 17-14 victory.

4. September 6, 2008 at Alabama

In a game that the Green Wave lost, they held the nation’s 13^th-ranked Crimson Tide to only 20 points.

3. October 8, 2011 vs. Syracuse

The Wave went toe-to-toe with Syracuse in New Orleans. Although they eventually fell, Tulane had Syracuse on the ropes, losing by only three points.

2. September 1, 2003 vs. TCU

The Wave and the 25^th-ranked Horned Frogs went at it in New Orleans. Tulane made a game of it, falling to TCU by only three points.

1. October 24, 1998 at Rutgers

Tulane dropped 52 points on the Scarlet Knights on the road in its sixth win of the 1998 season. This was one of the many shining moments of its undefeated 1998 campaign.

Where does Tulane’s future matchup with Ohio State sit on this list? For now that can’t be determined, results-wise anyways. On the significance factor, however, one could argue that it sits near the top. Many of the Green Wave’s games against big schools in the past were geography-based. Games against LSU and Alabama were big but not on unheard of just because of close proximity.

In 2018, however, Tulane gets gifted with the opportunity to take the field with a big-time football program on a big-time stage. Although victory in Columbus may be a long shot, it’s always important to keep in mind that anything can happen.