- - Tulane clinches spot in College Football Playoff with American Conference title game win over North Texas

Nick BrombergDecember 6, 2025 at 12:45 PM

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Tulane QB Jake Retzlaff rushed for two touchdowns in the Green Wave's win over North Texas in the American Conference title game. (Photo by Michael DeMocker/Getty Images) (Michael DeMocker via Getty Images)

Tulane can start prepping for the College Football Playoff.

The No. 20 Green Wave took down No. 24 North Texas 34-21 to win the American Conference title on Friday night. Tulane was the better team on Friday. That’s not in dispute. However, you also can’t dispute the Green Wave got a little help from the officials in their blowout win.

Tulane went up 24-7 before halftime thanks to a blown call by the officiating crew. The Green Wave punted the ball back to North Texas with less than a minute to go and a 17-7 lead. But Tulane receiver Landon Sides — who was back to receive the punt — got hit by a Tulane player as the ball was in the air.

Sides was knocked down and unable to get to the vicinity of the ball. The punt then bounced off the back of gunner Baron Tipton and was recovered by Tulane. No kick-catch interference penalty was called.

As time expired in the second quarter, Tulane QB Jake Retzlaff then snuck the ball into the end zone for a 17-point lead. And even then it wasn’t totally clear that Retzlaff scored.

RETZLAFF SNEAKS IT IN TO END THE FIRST HALF! pic.twitter.com/UAViziRMJo

— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) December 6, 2025

The Green Wave missed a field goal to start the second half and North Texas had the chance to cut the lead back to two scores. But Drew Mestemaker’s pass was tipped and intercepted by Chris Rodgers, who returned the ball 35 yards for a TD.

FUMBLE AND TULANE PICKS IT UP BUT WAIT THE BALL IS FORCED OUT AND IS IT A TOUCHBACK????????? pic.twitter.com/ecaJeIKeoQ

— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) December 6, 2025

Or what was called a TD, anyway. Mestemaker hit Rodgers just before he got to the goal line and Rodgers fumbled the ball out of the back of the end zone. However, the play was called a touchdown on the field and, somehow, upheld on replay review even as it was obvious that Mestemaker made contact with Rogers before the goal line.

Heck, you can even tell that the ball is being fumbled before the end zone in this picture below.

Did Chris Rodgers fumble this ball before the end zone? Even if he did, it was ruled a touchdown by officials. (Photo by Michael DeMocker/Getty Images) (Michael DeMocker via Getty Images)

Again, Tulane was the better team. The Green Wave deserved the win. But the officiating was a clear sign that it was simply not North Texas’ night. As was the play that happened in the fourth quarter after UNT had cut Tulane's lead to 10. A pass went right through linebacker S'Maje Burrell's hands and ended up as a completion and first down for Tulane.

The North Texas VS Tulane game summarized in one play 😂 pic.twitter.com/i47elkd3a3

— The cfb lliason (@realfbllliason) December 6, 2025

The Mean Green turned the ball over four times and also lost star running back Caleb Hawkins after just seven carries. Hawkins, who entered the game with over 1,500 total yards and 26 total touchdowns, appeared to suffer a shoulder injury on North Texas’ first drive of the game. He then left the game after fumbling on the second drive as he walked off the field favoring his shoulder again.

It was a game that was reminiscent of the disaster that happened in Denton on Oct. 10 for North Texas. The Mean Green started the season 5-0 and hosted a No. 24 South Florida team that beat Florida in Week 2. The Bulls scored four touchdowns in the span of five minutes and 37 seconds in the third quarter as the Mean Green turned the ball over five times in the 63-36 loss.

Outside of the games against South Florida and Tulane, North Texas went undefeated. UNT led college football with nearly 47 points per game and averaged 7.4 yards per play. It just committed nine of its 16 turnovers across two of the biggest games of the season.

Tulane will either be No. 11 or No. 12

Whoever won Friday night’s game would enter the College Football Playoff with a coach heading to a new school in 2026. Tulane’s Jon Sumrall is the new coach at Florida while North Texas’ Eric Morris is the new coach at Florida.

Tulane is likely heading for a road trip against either Oregon, Texas A&M or Ole Miss depending on the results of Saturday’s conference title games. If Virginia beats Duke in the ACC title game, Tulane will be the No. 12 seed in the CFP. If Duke wins that game and James Madison is the fifth-highest ranked conference champion, the Green Wave will be the No. 11 seed.

If Tulane can pull an upset win in a playoff game, it will tie the school record for victories in a season. Just two Tulane teams — the 12-2 team that went to the Cotton Bowl in 2022 and the 1998 team that went 12-0 — have won 12 games in a season and the 2025 team is just the sixth Tulane team to have at least 10 wins in a season.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Sports”