North Texas Mean Green 2023 Future Odds
New Head Coach and Quarterback Arrive as North Texas Moves to the American Athletic Conference
Plenty of Challenges Await as North Texas Moves Into A New Conference
There will be a new set of challenges regarding the North Texas Mean Green future odds with North Texas moving from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference. There will be a new head coach with Eric Morris taking over.
North Texas was picked to finish seventh in the preseason American Athletic Conference poll and third among the conference newcomers.
Offensive linemen Larry Moore and Paula Vaipulu come in from Texas Tech and Georgia Tech headline the list of incoming transfers. TCU receiver Blair Conwright, Texas Tech receiver Trey Cleveland, and UNLV safety Phillip Hunt are other newcomers.
The top five rated members of the incoming recruiting class are set to play defense, so it bears watching to see if any of them will play immediately.
It is worth watching the quarterback position with Austin Aune off to play professionally and Louisiana Monroe QB Chandler Rogers taking over.
Four of the 15 outgoing transfers headed to the SEC, and two others landed at other Power-5 conference teams, which is a sign of the quality of recruiting done by the Mean Green.
A quick peek at the college football betting numbers shows that there was a stretch of six straight games when the Mean Green covered. However, they were 1-6 against the spread in the other contests. Nine of their games finished over the total.
Regarding the NCAA football standings, North Texas finished in a tie for second place in the 2022 Conference USA standings with a 6-2 mark.
Rogers Set to Lead the Way For Mean Green
The numbers for Rogers were pretty solid as he completed 67.5% of his passes for 2403 yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions and he also ran for another five touchdowns.
Roderic Burns, Ja’Mori Maclin, and Damon Ward combined for six touchdown catches, with Maclin averaging 23.8 yards per catch.
Conwright (29 career catches at TCU) and Cleveland (41 career catches at Texas Tech) should contribute immediately.
Lineman Febechi Nwaiwu could be the best offensive player for the Mean Green, and most of the starting line is also back, so it could be a strength of the team. Keep that in mind regarding the North Texas Mean Green future odds.
The running game should be in great shape, with Ayo Adeyi (7.2 yards per carry on 112 carries) leading the list of returning backs, with Ikaika Ragsdale and Oscar Adaway joining Adeyi as players with more than 500 rushing yards.
North Texas brought in Matt Caponi to handle the defense, and he has his work cut out for him, as North Texas’ defense surrendered more than six yards per offensive play a season ago. The Mean Green were ninth out of 11 Conference USA teams in rushing and passing defense.
There will be a top-notch pass rusher and cornerback with the return of Mazin Richards (7.5 sacks) and Ridge Texada (three interceptions, 15 tackles for loss). Defensive back Logan Wilson also returns after making 50 tackles.
Top tackler KD Davis is gone, while linebacker Larry Nixon and cornerback Deshawn Gaddie transferred to Auburn and Ole Miss.
National Championship Odds: Some Work to Do
North Texas is grouped with over 50 other teams with the longest odds of winning the national title. Seeing what Cincinnati did in the American Athletic Conference has given the teams in the conference some hope. However, it would take a perfect season to even be in the conversation before the College Football Playoffs move from four to 12 teams.
Conference Odds: More Questions Than Answers
With a new quarterback and conference, it is hard to know what to expect heading into the first year in what is viewed as a more challenging league, even with the departures of some top teams to the Big 12—new conference.
The good news is when looking at the NCAA football schedule, conference play begins with Navy and Temple and North Texas could very well be favored in both games.
Regular Season Wins: Expectations On the Low Side
North Texas would likely have had a higher expected win total than the current 6.5 number if the Mean Green remained in Conference USA. It is a different deal with the move to the American Athletic Conference. That could come into play when looking at the North Texas Mean Green futures odds.
The season begins with a game against Cal out of the Pac-12 before meeting up with former conference rivals Florida International and Louisiana Tech. The Mean Green won both of those games by double digits. Cal is listed as the 8.5-point favorite in the season opener.
The second half of the season will be highly challenging, so perhaps the price is set at +125 to surpass the 6.5 wins and -155 to go under.
To Make the Playoffs: Eyeing An Elusive Bowl Win
North Texas hasn’t won a bowl game since topping UNLV in a game played on Jan. 1, 2014, so a decade has passed since the Mean Gren won a postseason game.
It won’t be a surprise to see North Texas in another bowl game. When it comes to the College Football Playoffs, there will be some work to do as the level of recruiting will need to increase to compete with some of the holdover teams from the American Athletic Conference.
For NCAAF betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
Follow us on Twitter
