Two of college football’s biggest breakout teams of 2025 are going head-to-head in Albuquerque.
The North Texas Mean Green (11-2, 7-1 American) and San Diego State Aztecs (9-3, 6-2 Mountain West) accepted
bids to the 2025 Isleta New Mexico Bowl. The game kicks off from University Stadium in Albuquerque, NM on Saturday, Dec. 27.
This matchup marks the eighth meeting between the programs. North Texas and San Diego State battled on an annual basis from 1969-75, with San Diego State winning six of seven times.
North Texas is on the verge of concluding its best season in program history. The Mean Green set a new program record with 11 wins and qualified for their first-ever American Conference Championship Game — as third-year members of the league. With a College Football Playoff bid on the line, North Texas dropped the critical matchup 34-21 at Tulane, burdened by a 5-0 turnover deficit. Setback aside, this remains a historic year in Denton, TX. North Texas fields the nation’s No. 1 offense with 44.8 points and 504 yards per game, operating under talented offensive stars Drew Mestemaker, Caleb Hawkins, and Wyatt Young. Also accompanying the Mean Green is head coach Eric Morris. Despite accepting a job at Oklahoma State, Morris committed to finishing the season and will coach North Texas one final time in Albuquerque.
The Mean Green also aim to snap a 7-game bowl losing streak. At 2-11 all-time, the Mean Green own the worst bowl winning percentage in the FBS among teams with at least 10 appearances. They can make more history by attaining their first bowl win since 2013 to increase their win total to 12.
San Diego State is bowling for the first time under 2022. Second-year head coach Sean Lewis brought the Aztecs back to prominence this season behind the nation’s fifth-ranked scoring defense and seventh-ranked total defense. San Diego State was excruciatingly close to qualifying for the Mountain West Championship Game, dropping a double-overtime thriller to New Mexico on Black Friday during a win-and-in scenario. The Aztecs can still rebound and claim their first 10-win season since 2021 by prevailing in Albuquerque.
Both teams are making their second New Mexico Bowl appearance. North Texas qualified in 2018, falling in lopsided 52-13 fashion to a shorthanded Utah State coaching staff. San Diego State earned its berth the following year in 2019, dominating Central Michigan 48-11 for its second-most recent bowl win to date (2021 Frisco Bowl most recent).
The 2025 New Mexico Bowl kicks off from Albuquerque on Saturday, Dec. 27 at 5:45 p.m. ET / 3:45 p.m. MT on ESPN, as one of eight bowl games in the most stacked slate of the postseason.
