Improved Tulane works to be a contender in AAC

    They look like a better team.
    They’d better be.
    In 2013, head coach Curtis Johnson has at least a chance of ending Tulane’s 11-year bowl drought. The magic number is six.
    “I will be disappointed in six wins,” said Johnson. “We need to get more than six this year.”
    After a glimpse at fall practice, this appears to be a better football team. If you ask me, the best arm in camp belongs to true freshman Tanner Lee of Jesuit.
    Junior college quarterback Nick Montana can’t make the throws that Lee can. But, with his experience and presence, he is the bridge to the future.
    The defensive front is improved. And, true freshman running back Sherman Badie of John Curtis could be the speed that Tulane’s backfield has lacked.
    Tulane has better players, but if the Green Wave want to compete in the new American Athletic Conference (AAC), that process must not only continue, it must be accelerated.
    The new league includes Connecticut, Central and South Florida and the University of Cincinnati.
    Cincinnati has won 10 games each of the past two seasons. The Bearcats have also reached double-digit wins in five of the last six seasons.
    Connecticut is expected to be one of the most improved teams in the country. The Huskies slumped to five wins in each of the past two seasons. But, from 2007 to 2010, UConn won at least eight games.
    Central Florida won 10 games in 2012. South Florida won only three games last season. But, one of their nine losses was a two-point defeat at eventual Sugar Bowl champion Louisville.
    Johnson said he understands well the league he calls the old Big East.
    “We gotta definitely kick it up on the offensive and defensive line,” Johnson said. “We are trying to get as many as we can because we know how physical this league is going to be.”
    Johnson said his priorities now include an assistant coach recruiting in Ohio, and “five or six” coaches recruiting in the state of Florida.
    In 2014, Tulsa will join Tulane in a move to the American Athletic Conference.
    Here’s the score of the last five Tulane/Tulsa games, all won by the Golden Hurricane: 56-7, 37-13, 52-24, 31-3 and 45-10.
    In the new league, Tulsa may be the third- or fourth-best team.
    In the meantime, the plan is to win at least six, go to the New Orleans Bowl, and get a contract extension for Johnson and raises for his assistants.
    As Tulane fans ponder that possibility, here’s something to consider: 19 wins, 61 losses. That is Tulane’s record the last 10 years in Conference USA.
    This fall, Tulane football hopes to turn a corner. Whether it does or does not, a steep climb is ahead in 2014.
    Ed Daniels is sports director of ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at [email protected].