AAC Championship features No. 21 North Texas against No. 22 Tulane

By Canadian Press on November 30, 2025.

No. 21 North Texas (11-1) at No. 22 Tulane (10-2), Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. EST.

BetMGM College Football Odds Opening Line: North Texas by 3. Against the spread: North Texas 10-2, Tulane 6-6.

How to watch: ABC

Key stats

North Texas Offense

Overall: 510.1 yards per game (1st in FBS)

Passing: 324.8 yards per game (2nd)

Rushing: 185.3 yards per game (40th)

Scoring: 46.8 points per game (1st)

North Texas Defense

Overall: 372.6 yards per game (65th in FBS)

Passing: 164.7 yards per game (10th)

Rushing: 207.9 yards per game (129th)

Scoring: 24.2 points per game (65th)

Tulane Offense

Overall: 416.3 yards per game (40th in FBS)

Passing: 248.4 yards per game (48th)

Rushing: 167.8 yards per game (60th)

Scoring: 28.7 points per game (61st)

Tulane Defense

Overall: 372.3 yards per game (64th in FBS)

Passing: 251.9 yards per game (121st)

Rushing: 120.3 yards per game (31st)

Scoring: 22.8 points per game (51st)

North Texas is 117th in defensive third down percentage, allowing opponents to convert 44.3% of the time. Tulane ranks 40th on offense, converting on 42.9% of third downs.

North Texas is 3rd in the FBS with a +14 turnover margin.

Tulane ranks 126th in the FBS averaging 67.4 penalty yards per game, compared to North Texas’ 18th-ranked 40.2 per-game average.

Tulane is 77th in FBS in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score on 84.6% of trips. North Texas’ red zone offense ranks 4th, scoring on 94.3% of red zone opportunities.

North Texas ranks 112th in the FBS with an average time of possession of 28:20, compared to Tulane’s 51st-ranked average of 30:31.

Team leaders

North Texas

Passing: Drew Mestemaker, 3,825 yards, 29 TDs, 4 INTs, 70.6 completion percentage

Rushing: Caleb Hawkins, 1,206 yards on 193 carries, 23 TDs

Receiving: Wyatt Young, 1,203 yards on 62 catches, 10 TDs

Tulane

Passing: Jake Retzlaff, 2,717 yards, 14 TDs, 6 INTs, 62.6 completion percentage

Rushing: Retzlaff, 561 yards on 103 carries, 14 TDs

Receiving: Shazz Preston, 582 yards on 36 catches, 4 TDs

Last game

North Texas beat Temple 52-25 on Friday, Nov. 28. Mestemaker led North Texas with 366 yards on 20-of-24 passing (83.3%) for three touchdowns and no interceptions. Hawkins had 186 rushing yards on 25 carries and four touchdowns, adding two receptions for 28 yards. Young had six receptions for 127 yards.

Tulane won 27-0 over Charlotte on Saturday, Nov. 29. Retzlaff threw for 291 yards on 28-of-38 attempts (73.7%) with no touchdowns and two interceptions. He also carried the ball four times for -4 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Jamauri McClure had 69 rushing yards on 11 carries. Anthony Brown recorded 98 yards on nine catches.

The Associated Press