The Tulane Green Wave opens the 2019 season with high expectations after winning its first bowl game in 16 years last season. It returns 14 starters from a team that went 7-6 and defeated Louisiana-Lafayette 41-24 in the Cure Bowl.



Tulane will try to record back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1997 and 1998. The Green Wave was picked to finish third behind Memphis and Houston in the West Division of the American Athletic Conference preseason media poll.



Before Wednesday’s media day festivities, Green Wave coach Willie Fritz sat down with The Athletic to discuss the 2019 season and the state of the program entering his fourth season at the helm:



What was your message to your team when you met last night?



We actually had a speaker deliver a message that was great. Damon West was a former quarterback at Port Arthur (Texas) High School and went to North Texas and got his degree. He’s written a couple of books called...