Tulane-USC opt outs: Players who won't play in Cotton Bowl

The No. 16 Tulane Green Wave and No. 10 USC Trojans meet up in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium on January 2 in Arlington, TX. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET, and will air on ESPN. Something to monitor with all of these bowl games is who will play, as a number of key players could be sitting out for either injury related reasons or outright opting out.

For USC, the biggest question mark all month has been if quarterback Caleb Williams will suit up for the exhibition. The Heisman Trophy winner suffered a hamstring injury during the Pac-12 Championship Game but has emphasized that he will play this afternoon. Not suiting up is wide receiver Jordan Addison, who has been nursing an ankle injury since October. The 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner has indeed opted out for this matchup and is expected to officially declare for the 2023 NFL Draft shortly.

The only notable player for Tulane not playing is wide receiver Dea Dea McDougle, who left the team in mid-November.

USC enters the game as a 2.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total set at 63.5.

Key players that have opted-out, injuries for Cotton Bowl

Tulane

RB Cameron Carroll (injury)
QB Justin Ibieta (injury)
WR Dea Dea McDougle (transfer portal)

USC

WR Jordan Addison (Injury)
RB Travis Dye (Injury)
LB Ralen Goforth (Transfer portal)
WR Michael Jackson III (Injury)
C Brett Neilon (Injury)
DT Kobe Pepe (Transfer portal)
EDGE Romello Height (Injury)
LB Julien Simon (Transfer portal)
OG Andrew Vorhees (Injury)
QB Caleb Williams (Injury)

  
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