The Texas State Bobcats and North Texas Mean Green are set to take center stage on Friday when they meet in the 2025 First Responder Bowl in Dallas. Texas State finished the regular season with a 7-5 overall record, including a 5-3 record in Sun Belt Conference play. North Texas enters with a 6-6 overall record, including a 3-5 record in American Athletic Conference games. Both teams lost several key players to the transfer portal. North Texas was perhaps hit harder and will be without starting quarterback Chandler Morris, wide receiver DT Sheffield, tight end Oscar Hammond and center Tyler Mercer, among others. Texas State lost starting right tackle Alex Harkey, starting running back Ismail Mahdi and starting cornerback Josh Eaton, among others.
Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas. Texas State is a 14-point favorite in the latest North Texas vs. Texas State odds, while the over/under is 65 points per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Texas State vs. North Texas picks, you’ll want to see the college football predictions and betting advice from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a betting profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college spread football picks, and it is 43-35 on all top-rated picks during the 2024 season. It also nailed all four winners in the first round of the College Football Playoffs. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen impressive returns.
The model has set its sights on Texas State vs. North Texas and just locked in its picks and First Responder Bowl predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several college football betting lines for North Texas vs. Texas State:
- Texas State vs. North Texas spread: Texas State -14
- Texas State vs. North Texas over/under: 65 points
- Texas State vs. North Texas money line: Texas State -595, North Texas +431
- Texas State vs. North Texas picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Texas State vs. North Texas streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
What to know about Texas State
Texas State enters this matchup in much better shape than North Texas from a continuity perspective. The Bobcats will be without a few key players, but also return several important pieces, including standout quarterback Jordan McCloud.
McCloud is a dual-threat at the quarterback position, who has the ability to take games over. He enters Friday with 2,920 passing yards, 29 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions, and 276 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. McCloud is expected to have his two targets from the regular season in Joey Hobert and Jaden Williams available for this matchup. See which team to pick here.
What to know about North Texas
North Texas will hand over the keys to the offense to true freshman Drew Mestemaker, who served as Morris’ backup during the regular season. North Texas is expected to have its top two rushers available for Friday’s matchup in junior Shane Porter and freshman Makenzie McGill II. Porter led the team with 643 yards and five touchdowns, while McGill rushed for 442 yards and nine scores during the regular season.
Senior wide receiver Damon Ward Jr. (36-622-4) will likely have an expanded role with Sheffield out of the mix. This is a series that North Texas has historically dominated, going 29-7-3 against Texas State. The Bobcats last beat North Texas in 1991. See which team to pick here.
How to make North Texas vs. Texas State picks
The model has simulated Texas State vs. North Texas 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over on the point total, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 70% of simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.
Who wins Texas State vs. North Texas in the 2025 First Responder Bowl, and which side of the spread hits almost 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Texas State vs. North Texas spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up well over $2,000 on top-rated spread picks since its inception, and find out.
