North Texas-Tulane
Friday, Dec. 5
8 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. Pacific
ABC
North Texas-Tulane has a lot of the ingredients fans want in a big college football game. Start with the obvious: The American Conference is at the epicenter of the college football conversation on Friday night. While the Big Ten and the SEC get the national headlines on Saturday and when the College Football Playoff field will be revealed, both North Texas and Tulane are playing an old-fashioned championship game: The winner claims the American championship and a spot in the CFP. The winner of this game will go on the road in the first round, probably at an SEC school. It’s a huge moment for these teams, which clawed their way to the top of the American in a year when the conference was vigorously competitive, balanced, and tightly bunched together. Navy, South Florida, Memphis, and even East Carolina were factors in the American title chase for varying lengths of time, but UNT and Tulane fought their way through the thicket of competition and have earned their spot on the big stage, for a chance to play in an even bigger spotlight in a few weeks.
Beyond the significance of the game, this clash figures to be a whole lot of fun. You can see below that the total is over 67 points. North Texas has scored 50 or more points on several occasions — it’s not a rarity. It’s a common occurrence for the Mean Green.
Tulane has repeatedly reached the American championship game, reinforcing the program’s consistency under multiple head coaches over the past several years. Tulane had an unbeaten team in 1998, arguably the best season in school history, but this has been a tremendous four-year run for the program, going back to the 2022 season in which the Green Wave upset USC to win the Cotton Bowl.
North Texas-Tulane is one of the hardest games to bet this year
Closely-matched teams and coaching uncertainties dominate American title game
This is such a hard game to bet on. Start with the reality that these two teams tied at the top of a tightly-bunched conference. Then add the point that North Texas has fallen behind by double digits several times this season and has mounted successful comebacks in multiple games. North Texas is a team which can — and does — fall behind 14-0 early but then has 28 points and a comfortable lead in the blink of an eye. It’s also a road game for UNT, so bettors have to wonder if they want to trust a very small favorite away from home.
The even bigger reason why this is a tough game to bet on: Both coaches are heading out after the season ends. Eric Morris is leaving North Texas for Oklahoma State. Jon Sumrall is leaving Tulane for Florida. How focused and motivated will these teams be? Coaching departures in December can always be a distraction. Reading the locker room can be hard to do.
North Texas Mean Green-Tulane Green Wave Odds
Hear TJ Rives and Jason Powers break down this game on the “3 Dog Thursday Podcast” by clicking Play below:
Spread: North Texas -2.5 (-115), Tulane +2.5 (-105)
Total: 67.5 (Over -115, Under -105)
Underdog moneyline: Tulane +115
The angle on this game which makes sense is the under. Tulane is at home. The stakes are really high. The defenses have a lot to prove. Tulane might not win or even cover, but as long as the Green Wave play decent defense, North Texas might max out at 30 or 31 points. Tulane could win 34-31 and the game would still go under. It won’t be a complete free for all. Take the under.