American Athletic · #88 of 138

North Texas

Implied Strength-6.2vs. FBS average · ±3.4
Record1–1through completed games
Bowl Eligibility79%reach six wins
Strength of Schedule80thof 138 FBS teams

Schedule lens

What matters next

The headline numbers are above. Here is where the season starts to take shape.

Team identity

Where the strength lives

New head coach in 2026

Offense projects as the stronger unit by 3.0 rating points.

Offense#83
-1.6vs. FBS average
-1.6
2025 PPA/play0.35 #2 FBSSuccess rate51.6% #2 FBS
Defense#96
-4.6vs. FBS average
-4.6
2025 PPA/play allowed0.16 #74 FBSSuccess rate allowed42.0% #77 FBS

2025 PPA (predicted points added per play) and success rate. How this split works →

Season outlook · 50,000 simulations

How North Texas's 2026 could unfold

The current projection is 7–5 (6.7 expected wins), with a 1% chance to reach the playoff. The distribution below shows how often each regular-season win total appeared across the schedule-aware simulations.

Range of outcomes

Projected win distribution

50,000 simulated seasons
Most common and median 7 winsCentral 80% 5–9 winsBowl eligible 78.9%
1%5%15%24%25%18%8%3%Market 5.7<4456789>9
Simulated (schedule-aware)Central 80% rangeMarket win total

Postseason path

2026 playoff outlook

50,000 simulations
0.7%Make the 12-team field

Still outside the median outcome across the schedule-aware simulations.

How the field is reached0.7% total
Auto-bid0.6%
At-large0.1%
Outside field99.3%
Conference title4.3%

What could move the outlook

Biggest questions

Unresolved does not mean negative. A point estimate appears only when the historical evidence supports one.

Coaching

How quickly does the new coaching staff take shape?

A first-year staff creates early-season implementation uncertainty even though the team-level baseline already incorporates the available preseason information.

The opener study found about a one-point market shade toward a retained coach, with a wide uncertainty range.
Returning production

A large share of last season's production must be replaced

3% of prior-year PPA returns, placing North Texas in the bottom quarter of the current FBS field.

This information already contributes to the team baseline; historical testing has not supported an additional generic continuity adjustment.
Projection contextRoster, continuity, and market inputsView details

The market win total, returning production, coaching continuity, transfer talent, and recent NFL production help explain the evidence surrounding this projection.

Returning Production2.5%share of prior-year PPA returning for 2026
Coaching ContinuityNew HCfirst season under a new head coach
2026 Transfer Class25thof 138 FBS teams by combined portal talentHeavy portal activity
Recent NFL Draft Production95thof 138 FBS teams by NFL talent produced
Market win total5.7Consensus preseason line
Final · Sep 5Suggested side covered
OV Win<0.01%16
OV Win>99.9%52
Spread:IU -36.5vs.IU -40
1 Factor
North Texas at Indiana · Bloomington, IN · Memorial Stadium (Bloomington, IN)
Final · Sep 12
OV Win64%6
Spread:UNLV -4.5vs.UNLV -3.5
UNLV at North Texas · Denton, TX · DATCU Stadium
11:00 AM · Sep 19
Spread:TXST -8.5vs.TXST -3
North Texas at Texas State · San Marcos, TX · Bobcat Stadium (TX)
6:30 PM · Sep 26
Houston ChristianFCS
OV Win1%
Spread:UNT -32vs.
Houston Christian at North Texas · Denton, TX · DATCU Stadium
8:00 PM · Oct 1
Spread:TLSA -2vs.
North Texas at Tulsa · Tulsa, OK · Chapman Stadium
11:00 PM · Oct 9
Spread:UNT -18.5vs.
Charlotte at North Texas · Denton, TX · DATCU Stadium
3:30 PM · Oct 24
Spread:NAVY -8vs.
North Texas at Navy · Annapolis, MD · Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
6:30 PM · Oct 29
Spread:UNT -3.5vs.
Florida Atlantic at North Texas · Denton, TX · DATCU Stadium
11:00 PM · Nov 6
Spread:UNT -11vs.
Rice at North Texas · Denton, TX · DATCU Stadium
11:00 PM · Nov 13
Spread:UTSA -10vs.
North Texas at UTSA · San Antonio, TX · Alamodome
11:00 PM · Nov 20
Spread:TULN -5.5vs.
North Texas at Tulane · New Orleans, LA · Yulman Stadium
11:00 PM · Nov 27
Spread:UNT -11vs.
UAB at North Texas · Denton, TX · DATCU Stadium

Pregame evidence · 2022–25

North Texas through the lens

The OV Line is the aggregate-rating baseline. The market gap shows where the game-level consensus differed, while identified Factors show how much of that difference our research may explain. ATS records are descriptive context—not a claim that OV should outperform the market.

Market ATS75%9–3 against consensus
Average line gap2.6 pts75% inside 3 points · 9 of 12
Factor coverage42%5 of 12 games
Factor signals40% aligned2 of 5 individual observations · 0 neutral
Historical sample12 gamesmarket-covered games from 2022–25

Explanatory history

Factors present in North Texas games

FactorGamesAverage estimateAligned with marketResearch status
Rest Differential30.6 pts toward North Texas33%1 of 3 directional casesSupported
Lopsided Game-Flow Uncertainty12.9 pts toward opponents0%0 of 1 directional casesSupported · wider uncertainty
Season-Opening Quarterback Experience10.8 pts toward North Texas100%1 of 1 directional casesResearch candidate
Underlying recordInspect all 12 historical gamesView games
SeasonGameOV baselineMarketMarket gapIdentified adjustmentRemaining gapResultMarket ATSFactors
2025 · W15at TulaneAwayNorth Texas -0.5North Texas -1.50.9 pts toward North TexasNone identified0.9 pts toward North TexasL 21–34LNone identified
2025 · W14vs. TempleHomeNorth Texas -20North Texas -20.50.7 pts toward North TexasNone identified0.7 pts toward North TexasW 52–25WNone identified
2025 · W13at RiceAwayNorth Texas -19North Texas -18.50.6 pts toward opponents1.0 pts toward opponents0.4 pts toward North TexasW 56–24WRest Differential
2025 · W12at UABAwayNorth Texas -18North Texas -17.50.7 pts toward opponents1.8 pts toward North Texas2.5 pts toward opponentsW 53–24WRest Differential
2025 · W10vs. NavyHomeNorth Texas -8North Texas -6.51.4 pts toward opponentsNone identified1.4 pts toward opponentsW 31–17WNone identified
2025 · W9at CharlotteAwayNorth Texas -23North Texas -25.52.3 pts toward North Texas2.9 pts toward opponents5.3 pts toward North TexasW 54–20WLopsided Game-Flow Uncertainty
2025 · W8vs. UTSAHomeNorth Texas -6.5North Texas -42.3 pts toward opponentsNone identified2.3 pts toward opponentsW 55–17WNone identified
2025 · W7vs. South FloridaHomeNorth Texas -3North Texas -2.50.6 pts toward opponents1.0 pts toward North Texas1.5 pts toward opponentsL 36–63LRest Differential
2025 · W5vs. South AlabamaHomeNorth Texas -14.5North Texas -131.6 pts toward opponentsNone identified1.6 pts toward opponentsW 36–22WNone identified
2025 · W3vs. Washington StateHomeNorth Texas -11.5North Texas -6.55.1 pts toward opponentsNone identified5.1 pts toward opponentsW 59–10WNone identified
2025 · W2at Western MichiganAwayNorth Texas -20North Texas -12.57.7 pts toward opponentsNone identified7.7 pts toward opponentsW 33–30LNone identified
2025 · W1vs. LamarHomeNorth Texas -21North Texas -27.56.6 pts toward North Texas0.8 pts toward North Texas5.8 pts toward North TexasW 51–0WSeason-Opening Quarterback Experience

Sample: 12 market-covered games from 2022–25. Identified adjustments are rough sums of the Factors shown and are not a replacement betting line. Remaining gap is market consensus minus the OV baseline and identified adjustments. A push means the team’s scoring margin exactly matched the market line.