It’s bowl season, which means we have a lot of football to watch between Dec. 13 and Jan. 19! Ohio State, Utah, Georgia Southern, Army, Texas A&M — and just about everyone in between — will take part in a total of 47 games that will ultimately conclude with the 2026 CFP National Championship.
NESN has you covered with previews for each and every game — with our next contest bringing us to the desert:
2025 Isleta New Mexico Bowl
Matchup: North Texas Mean Green vs. San Diego State Aztecs
Date: Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025
Kickoff: 5:45 p.m. ET
Stadium: University Stadium — Albuquerque, N.M.
TV: ESPN
Game Overview
The New Mexico Bowl often features fun matchups, with highly rated teams from the power four meeting in each of the last seven iterations.
James Jones (2026), Shaquil Barrett (2013) and Jordan Love (2018) are some familiar names to come away with the game’s MVP, which is represented by a trophy crafted from traditional leather shields.
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It’s always a fun environment.
Team Overviews
North Texas Mean Green
Conference: American
Head Coach: Drew Svobada (Interim)
Record: 11–2
North Texas has fallen victim to its most successful regular season in program history, with head coach Eric Morris already gone after taking the same gig at Oklahoma State.
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Drew Mestemaker, the club’s diamond-in-the-rough success story at quarterback, will stay with the team through bowl season, however — as will defensive linemen Jayden Williams and Saadiq Clements.
The Green Machine enter with the nation’s best offense (44.1 points per game) and will have the advantage of keeping their quarterback (Mestemaker).
San Diego State Aztecs
Conference: Mountain West
Head Coach: Sean Lewis
Record: 9-3
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San Diego State hasn’t been picked off to the same level as their upcoming opponent, but they will be without several key pieces.
The Aztecs have seen quarterback Jayden Denegal, and wide receivers Jordan Napier and Jacob Bostick, all go down with season-ending injuries.
Players to Watch
North Texas
QB Drew Mestemaker
RB Caleb Hawkins
WR Wyatt Young
WR Cameron Dorner
DL Keviyan Huddleston
LB Ethan Wesloski
LB Trey Fields
DB Will Jones II
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San Diego State
QB Bert Emmanuel Jr.
RB Lucky Sutton
WR Donovan Brown
DL Ryan Henderson
DL Niles King
DB Dwayne McDougal
Key Notes
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San Diego State defensive coordinator Rob Aurich took the same job with Nebraska, leaving passing game coordinator Demetrius Sumler to serve as the interim in his place.
Betting Lines
DraftKings Sportsbook: North Texas -5.5 | O/U 52.5
FanDuel Sportsbook: North Texas -5.5 | O/U 53.5
BetMGM Sportsbook: North Texas -5.5 | O/U 53.5
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The Pick: North Texas -5.5
Featured image via Tim Heitman/Imagn Images
