And like that, the Superdome era is over for the Tulane University Green Wave. On Nov. 23, the team completed the very last chapter in its generally un-storied history with the cavernous Superdome.

Of course, it hand to end in the most uncharacteristic way: a 45-3 beatdown against a struggling UTEP Miners squad. In the end, the Green Wave got it done, and they left the Superdome on a rare high note, even still involved in the conference race.

Here are the quick reactions.

1. Wide Receiver Ryan Grant looks like an NFL caliber wide receiver every time this offense is clicking at all. Today, he put up over 100 yards with two touchdowns to boot. Grant is a dominant receiver with next-level talent.

2. Despite the many successes of this 2013 season, Tulane has not really dominated any opponent other than Playoff Division Jackson State. This UTEP game definitely looked like a statement that the team was refocused and ready to finish strong.

3. The Miners put up 39 yards of rushing. For much of the first half, they struggled to put up any type of yardage. The Green Wave defense gave up almost nothing today.

4. Tulane moves to 5-2 in the conference. UT San Antonio, fresh off its win two weeks ago against Tulane, sits at 5-2 with the tiebreaker over the Green Wave. UNT now is 5-2, but loses the tiebreaker to both Tulane and UT San Antonio.

Here are the remaining scenarios as to how the West Division will be decided.

A. Rice beats Tulane. The Owls would finish at 7-1 and would win the division outright. They control their own destiny. RESULT: RICE OWLS: 

B. UT San Antonio beats Louisiana Tech and Tulane beats Rice. Rice and UTSA would tie at 6-2, but Rice controls the tiebreaker with San Antonio by head-to-head victory.

• UNT Scenario - UNT WINS: If UNT beats Tulsa in this scenario, UNT would be 6-2 as well. This creates a tie at 6-2 among Tulane, San Antonio, UNT, and Rice. Tulane and UTSA are both 2-1 against this group, so they would effectively tie for first. Then, it goes to head-to-head, and UTSA's victory would send the Roadrunners to the title and leave Tulane in second. 

RESULT: UTSA ROADRUNNERS

C. Tulane beats Rice. UTSA loses to Louisiana Tech. UNT outcome does not matter. In this scenario, Tulane, Rice, and UNT finish at 6-2, moving UTSA back to 5-3. Tulane would control the head-to-head with both Rice and UNT. RESULT: TULANE GREEN WAVE 

D. Under no scenario can UNT make it to the conference championship, regardless of the outcome of the Mean Green's game with Tulsa next week. At this point, UNT's stake is simply to figure out seeding and improve its chance to appear in a better bowl game (probably Heart of Dallas would be ideal for Mean Green at this stage).

E. The Louisiana Tech factor. The Bulldogs are playing Tulsa at the moment. If they manage to pick up the win, they will head to UT San Antonio next week with bowl eligibility still on the line. Can't help to think that we should be rooting for LT to have something on the line next week! 

Whew. Altogether, it comes down to this. Rice can win, and they're in. If Tulane wins, it either sends the Green Wave to the championship or propels UT San Antonio to the title game. 

I guess this is what it feels like to have the late season matter? Roll wave. 

At this moment, the University of North Texas is leading the 4-0 Rice Owls in the fourth quarter. While I have learned not to speculate at such moments, it did spark my interest in clarifying Conference USA's tiebreaker formula to determine the divisional champions.

As we all know, in Conference USA West, we currently have the following setup:
1. Tulane: 4-0 in CUSA and 6-2 Overall
1. Rice: 4-0 in CUSA and 6-2 Overall
3. North Texas: 3-1 in CUSA* and 5-3 Overall
* indicates that UNT has already lost to Tulane. More on that.

Now the perplexing thing is that Conference USA does not seem to have an official post establishing their formula for tiebreakers. Here's their "Format" site for 2013, which provides no mention of tiebreakers for the division.

I keep reminding myself that it's the last year for us... Anyway, from what I gathered while cross-referencing past seasons as well as several C-USA message boards, here's the "Fear the Wave somewhat official tiebreaker" for Conference USA football's divisions.

1. The best record in Conference USA-play will advance.
2. If tied, the head-to-head matchup decides who advances
3. If still tied, divisional record would be the next measure (which is weird, as teams in the same division will play each other each year)

So there you have it. Let's say that hypothetically, a school in Denton, TX (3-1) was playing a school in Houston, TX (4-0). That Denton teams wins, making each team 4-1. Then, the Denton U would then control the tiebreaker over Houston.

Now let's say there is an additional team from Louisiana, in this example. They are 4-0 and have not played Houston, but they have already beaten Denton. In other words, they control the tiebreaker with Denton but would lose to Houston if both had the same record in-conference and Houston handed Louisiana its only loss (7-1 and 7-1, Houston advances).

However, if Houston lost to Denton and one additional game, Louisiana would still advance even if it lost to Houston (Louisiana 7-1, Denton 7-1*, Houston 6-2).

Now, for any of these scenarios, let's say that both East and West divisions produced a tied in-conference record. If both teams were 7-1, let's say, the order would be the following to determine the Conference USA Championship host:

1. Record in-conference
2. Head-to-head record, if available
3. Highest ranking under the BCS ranking model

That format is confirmed here by CSTV.

So what does that all mean? It would be stellar if Tulane can win them all coming down the line. But if nothing else, the team absolutely controls its own fate in this final stretch of the season.

**UPDATE on the Results of UNT vs. Rice: 

#1
— Lorenzo Doss (@Lorenzo_Doss) November 1, 2013

Tulane is facing the U. of North Texas (UNT) in today's Homecoming game. With the Green Wave at 3-2, the Mean Green present a big opportunity for Tulane to move forward toward bowl eligibility.

Here's how the game is breaking down.

Second Half: 

The half opened with a UNT comeback. The Mean Green produced a touchdown in the red zone, although it got messy after a near fumble.

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The momentum swung heavily in the other direction after that. It started with Strozier generating the first blocked field goal leading to a touchdown in Tulane's history.


The Green Wave followed that up with a Lorenzo Doss "pick six" on the next drive. Those two huge plays made it a 21-7 game, giving the Green Wave a bit of a cushion.

First Half: 

The Green Wave defense definitely made every opportunity count in the first half. They provided consistent pressure on UNT and forced a couple chances for a takeaway. They came really close to another one to close out the half. Lorenzo Doss, in particular, continued a great 2013 campaign with an early pick.

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Tulane ended up having a couple of chances in the second half to expand their lead. Cairo Santos missed a rare field goal. His 56 yarder finished left, but he got another shot after a Roughing the Kicker call. However, he also left the second attempt short and left.

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Tulane's big issue in the first half was protecting Nick Montana. Montana, who held his own, maintained his presence in the pocket, and completed some great throws, saw a ton of pressure all day. 

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More to come as this game progresses.