It didn’t take long for Michael Arata to feel the effect of Tulane’s first-ever College Football Playoff berth.

He started receiving text messages during his walk home from Yulman Stadium on Friday night after Tulane qualified for the big dance by beating North Texas in the American Conference championship game.

Give me a call.

We’ve got to talk.

What can I do to help?

Normally, Arata is the one doing the calling. The former Tulane linebacker co-founded the Fear the Wave collective, which assists the athletic department’s fundraising efforts. Now, he was on the receiving end of the outreach.

“My phone was buzzing with texts, and you could feel it resonating all over the city,” Arata said. “The excitement and energy have been crazy.”

The impact from the historic achievement is sti

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