Tulane has a chance to sneak into the 12-team College Football Playoff.It’s a long shot, but it’s possible as the No. 17 Green Wave (9-2, 7-0 American Athletic Conference) face Memphis (9-2, 5-2) on Thursday night in New Orleans.Tulane would have to beat the Tigers, top Army in the American title game on Dec. 6, and get some help.”I don’t understand all the formulas and scenarios,” Green Wave first-year head coach Jon Sumrall said, “but if you tell me this team losing helps Tulane, then I pull for them to lose.”But Sumrall, who was 23-4 in two seasons as head coach at Troy before joining Tulane, knows nothing else matters if his team doesn’t take care of its own business.The Green Wave have won eight games in a row after consecutive September losses to Kansas State, which was No. 17 at the time, and then-No. 15 Oklahoma.”We’re in the middle of a pretty good run,” Sumrall said. “This game has a lot of meaning. At this point in November, every game is a playoff game. This game is the most important game of the year. But we can’t focus on the implications of this game. It’s so much more, how do you play a good game?”Tulane needs a win Thursday in order to host the American championship game for a third consecutive season. The Green Wave split the previous two appearances, winning its first conference title of any kind since 1998 in 2022 before coming up short last season.The Green Wave have allowed a total of just nine points in their last three games, including a 35-0 victory at Navy in their most recent game on Nov. 16.”The cohesion (on defense) has kicked in as time has gone on,” Sumrall said.Tulane, which has tied a league record with 17 consecutive regular-season wins against American Athletic Conference opponents, is one of the most balanced teams in the country.