The #20 Tulane Green Wave (10-2, 7-1 American) will meet the #24 North Texas Mean Green (11-1, 7-1 American) in the American Conference Championship game on Friday, December 5th at 7:00 at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans.
Tulane makes their fourth straight appearance in this game, with one win and two losses previously. They have wins over Northwestern, Duke, and Memphis that have given them one of the top resumes of playoff hopeful teams outside of the power conferences.
North Texas has one of the highest-powered offenses in America, having scored more than 50 in three straight games. They entered the playoff rankings as well this week.
The winner of this game will more than likely secure a College Football Playoff berth as one of the top five conference champions.
COACHING SWAN SONG
College football has some calendar issues. As a result, former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin has left for LSU and will not be allowed to coach the Rebels in the College Football Playoff.
Both Tulane and North Texas also have coaches that are leaving. Tulane’s Jon Sumrall is headed to Florida while North Texas coach Eric Morris is leaving for Oklahoma State.
However, both of these programs have deals in place to allow these two coaches to remain for Friday’s game, as well as a potential playoff run. Sumrall and Morris will be on the sidelines on Friday night, despite the fact that they are technically in charge of other programs as well.
It is a strange situation, but at least it is balanced on both sides. We will see which team handles that better with everything on the line Friday.
SUPERB SIGNAL-CALLERS
Both of these teams have rather incredible stories behind their starting quarterbacks. They have each been instrumental in leading their respective programs to this game.
For Tulane, Jake Retzlaff transferred in just a couple of months before the season started after being dismissed by BYU. He had extensive experience with the Cougars, and jumped into the starting role right away.
On the other side, North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker was a backup in his high school career. Then, he got an opportunity to shine in the bowl game last year and won the starting job. He has been one of the nation’s best passers in 2025, surprising many and winning American Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
EXPERIENCE VS NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Tulane is no stranger to the American Championship game. In fact, this is their fourth consecutive appearance. The Green Wave won the title inside Yulman stadium in 2022, before falling in the same venue in 2023. Last year, they went on the road and lost to Army. They are looking to take home their second American Championship.
North Texas, on the other hand, has never appeared in the American Championship. They last played for a conference title in the C-USA Championship in 2017 but fell to Florida Atlantic. The Mean Green last won a conference in 2004 when they topped the Sun Belt.
SERIES RECORD: Tulane leads 3-0
Previous Meetings:
2024: TULANE 45 – NORTH TEXAS 37
2023: TULANE 35 – NORTH TEXAS 28
2013: TULANE 24 – NORTH TEXAS 21
STAT LEADERS:
Tulane
Jake Retzlaff: 209-334, 2,717 Yards, 14 TD, 6 INT; 103 Carries, 561 Yards, 14 TD
Javin Gordon: 111 Carries, 479 Yards, 5 TD
Shazz Preston: 36 Catches, 582 Yards, 4 TD
Harvey Dyson & Jordan Norman: 6 Sacks
Chris Rodgers: 68 Tackles (45 Solo)
Jaheim Johnson & Javion White: 3 INT
Patrick Durkin: 22-of-24 Field Goals, Long of 52, 36-of-37 PAT
North Texas
Drew Mestemaker: 271-382, 3,835 Yards, 29 TD, 4 INT
Caleb Hawkins: 193 Carries, 1,216 Yards, 23 TD
Wyatt Young: 62 Catches, 1,203 Yards, 10 TD
Keviyan Huddleston: 5 Sacks
Ethan Wesloski: 97 Tackles (50 Solo)
4 Players Tied: 2 INT
Kali Nguma: 12-of-13 Field Goals, Long of 46, 69-of-69 PAT