College football's final week claimed its first major victim Thursday night, as No. 17 Tulane fell 34-24 at home against Memphis. Though the result doesn't knock the Green Wave out of the American Athletic Conference Championship Game -- Tulane clinched a berth two weeks ago with a win against Navy -- it did have major implications on a heated College Football Playoff race.

Thanksgiving football brought some early clarity to the playoff race entering the final week of the regular season, and proved a damning moment for would-be Gro

It was hard not feel good about the state of Tulane's program the way they had been playing recently. After suffering two losses in a row to Power 4 schools, th