North Texas vs. Rice Picks and Prediction, Saturday, November 22, 2025

North Texas (9-1, 5-1 American) will be trying to move into a tie for first place in the AAC standings when they visit Rice Stadium on Saturday night to face Rice (5-5, 2-4 American) at 7:30 PM. ET. Read on to find out which team picks up the win in this Mean Green vs. Owls prediction. Don’t get penalized! Increase your bankroll with our College Football Betting Picks!

The Mean Green are coming off a 53-24 win over UAB as 17.5-point favorites. The Owls are coming off a 24-17 win over UAB as 1.5-point favorites.

North Texas is 7-3 in its last 10 games against Rice. The Mean Green won the last meeting in 2022, 21-17.

North Texas Going For Fifth Consecutive Win

The Mean Green bounced back from their loss to USF with wins over UTSA, Charlotte, Navy, and UAB. They are in a three-way tie for second in the AAC, one game behind Navy. They will try to move into a tie for first place and keep their playoff hopes alive with a win on Saturday.

North Texas averages 45.3 points per game, which leads the nation. They throw for 307.3 yards and rush for 182.3 yards per game.

Drew Mestemaker has completed 69 percent of his passes for 3,000 yards, 23 touchdowns, and four interceptions. Caleb Hawkins leads the team with 148 carries for 933 yards and 16 touchdowns, while Wyatt Young leads the team with 48 catches for 781 yards and eight touchdowns.

North Texas is giving up 24.1 points per game, which is 70th in the nation. They’re giving up 182.6 passing yards and 222 rushing yards per game.

Injuries: RB-Jayden Becks (Undisclosed) and RB-Makenzie McGill (Undisclosed) are questionable for this game.

Rice Going For Second Consecutive Win

The Owls bounced back from their loss to Memphis with a win over UAB in their last game. They will try to keep the momentum going and pick up their second straight win when they play on Saturday.

Rice averages 21.1 points per game, which is 112th in the nation. They throw for 97 yards and rush for 211.1 yards per game.

Chase Jenkins has completed 70 percent of his passes for 885 yards, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also has 422 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Quinton Jackson leads the team with 148 carries for 758 yards and six touchdowns, while Drayden Dickmann leads the team with 33 catches for 302 yards and three touchdowns.

Rice is giving up 27.9 points per game, which is 90th in the nation. They’re giving up 225 passing yards and 149.3 rushing yards per game.

Injuries: RB-Daelen Alexander (Undisclosed), QB-Patrick Crayton Jr. (Undisclosed), QB-Lucas Scheerhorn (Undisclosed), and WR-Braylen Walker (Undisclosed) are questionable for this game. WR-Owen Carter (Undisclosed) has been ruled out.

North Texas vs. Rice Picks

Point Spread Pick for North Texas vs. Rice

• North Texas Mean Green -18.5 (4 Units)

The Mean Green have won four straight road games, while the Owls have lost four of their last six games. North Texas has the edge here because they’re better offensively, scoring more than 40 points per game thanks to one of the best passing games in the country. The Owls aren’t great against the run, and their pass defense ranks in the bottom half of the nation, so expect them to have a hard time slowing down the Mean Green.

Rice will have a hard time keeping up with North Texas because they’re not very good offensively and barely score more than 20 points per game. Even though they run the ball well, expect them to struggle because they throw for less than 100 yards per game, so the Mean Green don’t have to worry about getting beat through the air, which will allow them to stack the box and limit the damage the Owls do on the ground. Take North Texas to cover the spread.

Over/Under Pick for North Texas vs. Rice

• Over 55.5 (4 Units)

The Mean Green played over the total in four of their last five games, while the Owls played over the total in three of their last four games. North Texas averages 45.3 points per game. They throw the ball 51 percent of the time with the sixth-ranked passing attack in the nation, and they’re facing a team that is 71st against the pass and is giving up 30.2 points per game at home. The Owls average 21.1 points per game. They run the ball 74 percent of the time with the 19th-ranked ground game in the nation, and they’re facing a team that is 131st against the run and is giving up 28 points per game on the road. Expect these teams to score enough points to push the score over the total.