Texas

2024 North Texas Football Prediction & Preview With Betting Odds, Schedule, Key Returners & Outlook

Published

2 years ago

August 10, 2024

2024 North Texas Football Prediction & Preview With Betting Odds, Schedule, Key Returners & Outlook

It could be argued the first season in the AAC and the first year under head coach Eric Morris went probably about as most would expect for North Texas.

UNTʻs win total Over/Under was set at 6 entering the season. The Mean Green barely fell short of that number, going 5-7 and 3-5 in league play.

Despite a new coach and transitioning to a tougher league, UNT still competed well. It dropped five one-score games — three of them to Tulane, UTSA, and Memphis. This was part of a brutal four-game stretch that also included a visit to SMU.

On a four-game losing skid entering Week 12 after this tough stretch, the Mean Green grinded it out and finished on a two-game win streak. That says a lot about Morris and the culture he is trying to establish.

There was certainly a lot learned last year for this program, especially on the defensive side of the ball. We’ll see if they can turn those learning curves into wins in Year 2 under Morris.

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North Texas’ odds to win the AAC are +2200, via BetMGM.

North Texas’ win total Over/Under is 5.5, with the Over at -135 and the Under at +110.

8/31 at South Alabama

9/7 vs Stephen F. Austin

9/14 at Texas Tech

9/21 vs Wyoming

9/28 vs Tulsa

10/12 at FAU

10/19 at Memphis

10/26 vs Tulane

11/9 vs Army

11/15 at UTSA

11/23 vs East Carolina

11/30 at Temple

Bold indicates AAC contests

2023 All-AAC Third Team

LB Jordan Brown

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North Texas’ Rush Defense Must Improve

I remember watching North Texas play Cal during Week 1 last season. Granted, he is one of the best running backs in the country, but I still couldn’t believe how silly Jaydn Ott made the Mean Green’s defense look. Ott finished that game with 188 yards and two scores, averaging 9.4 yards per carry.

Come to find out, that was just the start of what would plague UNT all season long. Not only did its defense finish last in the entire FBS in rushing yards allowed per game (255.2), but it also ranked dead last in total defense after allowing 476.4 yards per game. It’s a surprise and a testament to their offense the Mean Green finished with five wins after giving up 37 points per game.

Teams were able to do whatever they wanted on the ground against the Mean Green all year. This, of course, opened up the playbook. If the defense is going to be better, it starts with stopping the run.

Morris brought in a few transfers on the defensive line to do this, including Jake Shipley from Oregon, who should make a big difference. Starters Roderick Brown and Fatafehi Vailea II return on the DL with a ton of experience and should be motivated after last season.

The Mean Green had some linebackers who struggled to stop the run last year and who are no longer on the roster. Jordan Brown (82) and Ethan Wesloski (63) were first and third on the roster in total tackles, respectively, and will return but must and should improve. Isheem Young comes in from Ole Miss, and the safety should play a hybrid role and will be key in stopping the run.

With 2022 All-Conference USA first-team cornerback Ridge Texada coming back and three transfers coming in, the Mean Green should have a decent secondary.

On the other side of the ball, quarterback Chandler Morris will lead the offense after transferring from TCU where he passed for 1,532 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023. He has a solid target in Damon Ward Jr. and a strong offensive line. With Eric Morris’ past success guiding offenses, this group will have some potential. He did once coach a guy named Patrick Mahomes and a high-powered Texas Tech offense.

I donʻt predict North Texas to win the AAC but there is a slight chance it can reach six wins and get to a bowl game.

UNTʻs win total at 5.5 seems right on point as its non-conference schedule isnʻt the easiest. Thereʻs a real possibility the Mean Green are 1-3 heading into AAC play with their only non-conference win coming vs. Stephen F. Austin.

If this is the case, winning five league games might be a stretch. There are only two games where I have a lot of faith in the Mean Green coming away victorious and thatʻs against Tulsa and Temple. Their other likely shots at wins come at FAU and at home against Army and East Carolina, but none of these will be easy outings.

Because of its schedule and roster turnover, I don’t think UNT can get to six wins. Morris will have a chance to prove his team can finish in the top half of the conference and pull off an upset or two, but I need to see it before I trust the Mean Green to go Over 5.5 wins.

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Opal Lee’s granddaughter advocates for “Grandmother of Juneteenth” to be included in Texas curriculum

Published

6 hours ago

April 8, 2026

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Opal Lee’s granddaughter advocates for “Grandmother of Juneteenth” to be included in Texas curriculum

The granddaughter of Dr. Opal Lee, famously known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” was in Austin Tuesday to advocate for the inclusion her grandmother in Texas’ Juneteenth curriculum.

Dr. Lee is nearly 100 years old and lives in Fort Worth. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024 and was by President Biden’s side when he made Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021.

“I want to petition for her to be a required person to study Juneteenth,” said granddaughter Dione Sims. “People that have to do with freedom, liberty, and unity; she’s the embodiment of that. Helping to get Juneteenth as a national holiday, I think deserves to be mentioned.”

Sims testified in front of the State Board of Education Tuesday night. A final decision is expected in June.

Lee, born in 1926, played a crucial role in making Juneteenth a federal holiday. The North Texas icon walked two and a half miles every Juneteenth to symbolize the two and a half years it took for enslaved people in Texas to learn they were free, after the Emancipation Proclamation. In 2016, she walked from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness.

She didn’t participate in the 2025 walk after being hospitalized.

Lee has also been honored with a Barbie doll that celebrates her advocacy as part of its Inspiring Women collection.

Sims previously discussed expanding Lee’s walk across all 50 states, preserving her grandmother’s legacy with a walk in one city in each state.

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North Texas Iranian Americans fear for families amid Trump’s threats against Iran

Published

18 hours ago

April 7, 2026

Press Room

North Texas Iranian Americans fear for families amid Trump’s threats against Iran

Tensions are rising between the United States and Iran, as a deadline from President Donald Trump fuels concerns about potential military action.

Just hours before President Trump’s deadline for Iran to accept a deal or face military consequences, Iranian Americans in North Texas feared for their relatives on the ground, saying the focus should stay on the people of Iran.

“We’re in a wartime, so everyone’s worried and following the news,” said Homeira Hesami, the chairwoman for the Iranian American Community of North Texas. “The internet’s still being down, you know, we don’t have a very secure way to communicate with our family and friends back home, so sometimes, you know, they may be able to call out, but it’s very patchy.”

Tuesday, Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran does not open the Strait of Hormuz, following similar threats he made on Easter Sunday. TCU Political Science Professor Ralph Carter offered this perspective on the potential loss of life.

“In the worst-case scenario, President Trump carries out massive attacks against civilian targets, killing thousands or even millions of people, then I think Congress has to act,” said Carter.

Carter added that targeting an entire civilization could amount to a war crime and raises serious questions about Mr. Trump’s legal authority. He said this also shakes up the U.S.’s relationships with its allies.

“I do think that Iran will survive, whatever happens,” Carter said. “I think the Iranian people will be united in a rally around the flag phenomenon to defend their homeland against an aggressor, and I think, again, this is one of those things where a weaker power outlasts a stronger power, because the stronger power gets tired of the price they have to pay to try to get a victory.”

Hesami believes change in Iran must come from the Iranian people, not through foreign intervention.

“War has proven that sometimes it is not the solution, and the solution is relying on the Iranian people and their organized resistance,” she said.

Less than two hours before his deadline for Iran to either cut a deal with the U.S. or face massive strikes on its power plants, Mr. Trump said he agreed to a “double sided CEASEFIRE” with Iran.

“I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,” the president wrote on Truth Social.

He said the ceasefire, which he agreed to at Pakistan’s request, was “subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz.”