Will the Mean Green or Green Wave Take Home the Title, and College Football Playoff Berth?

College Football Playoff stakes are front and center as North Texas travels to Tulane for the American Conference Championship, with off-field storylines raising questions about how locked in each side will be on game day.

The buildup has shifted much of the attention to coaching futures, roster movement, and program trajectories, adding another layer of intrigue to an already high-pressure stage.

The North Texas vs. Tulane prediction explores how PFSN’s grading system frames this matchup, breaking down unit-by-unit strengths and weaknesses, reviewing the recent history between the programs, and mapping out how various game scripts could unfold without actually naming a specific winner or final score.

North Texas vs. Tulane Details

• Date: Friday, Dec. 5
• Game time: 8 p.m. ET
• Location: Yulman Stadium | New Orleans, La.
• Predicted weather at kick: 56°, Clear
• How to watch: ABC, ESPN App, Fubo, Sling TV, YouTube TV

North Texas vs. Tulane Head-to-Head Record

While their campuses are merely eight hours apart, this series only started recently. Saturday’s matchup will be the fourth matchup between the two teams, and Tulane has won every game so far.

Every matchup has been a one-score game. Last year’s game was a thriller, with Tulane holding on for a 45-37 win. This year, the stakes are even higher with the American Conference championship on the line.

North Texas vs. Tulane Grades

PFSN College OFFi

• North Texas (84.6, B)
• Tulane (76.8, C)

PFSN College DEFi

• North Texas (73, C)
• Tulane (73.9, C)

PFSN College OLi

• North Texas (74.9, C)
• Tulane (72.7, C-)

PFSN College QBi

• Drew Mestemaker (88.2, B+)
• Jake Retzlaff (87.3, B+)

PFSN College RBi

• Caleb Hawkins (90.2, A-)
• Javin Gordon (66.4, D)

PFSN College WRi

• Wyatt Young (90.1, A-)
• Omari Hayes (79.8, C+)

PFSN College TEi

• Tre Williams III (77.2, C+)
• Johnny Pascuzzi (73.5, C)

PFSN College EDGEi

• Ethan Day (69.9, D+)
• Harvey Dyson (67.8, D+)

PFSN College DTi

• Saadiq Clements (69.8, D+)
• Jordan Norman (78.5, C+)

PFSN College LBi

• Ethan Wesloski (76.4, C)
• Chris Rodgers (68.8, D+)

PFSN College CBi

• Kollin Lewis (80.9, B-)
• Jahiem Johnson (81..4, B-)

PFSN College SAFi

• Will Jones II (75.4, C)
• Kevin Adams III (79.5, C+)

North Texas vs. Tulane Prediction

Two ranked teams. One American title. Tulane is hosting, but North Texas is ready to showcase its high-powered offense to the nation. Will it be enough? Maybe not. We ran this matchup 50,000 times in PFSN’s FREE College Football Playoff Predictor – the Green Wave won 65.7% of them. However…

North Texas head coach Eric Morris is off to Oklahoma State, and Tulane Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall heads to Florida. So, how focused will their teams be in this game? And what will the winner be able to do in the playoff? These are the questions Group of Five teams must worry about now.

Both teams are having great seasons. North Texas won 11 games for the first time in school history thanks to an explosive offense. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker took the starting spot and shone with his arm talent, and freshman running back Caleb Hawkins took the American Conference by storm recently.

MORE: Try PFSN’s College Football Playoff Predictor

So how does Tulane stop them? Disruptive plays. A big reason for the Green Wave’s success was tackles for loss and sacks. If they can do that against this Mean Green offense, they’ll be in a great position to win the conference title.

North Texas’ offense has a great balance, something that most teams haven’t solved yet. It feels like that magic continues even on the road.

Prediction: North Texas 35, Tulane 31