California Golden Bears vs Texas Tech Red Raiders Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/16/2023

Game Time: 9:15 pm ET, Saturday, December 16, 2023

Venue:  Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA 

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Cal +3, TTU -3; Over/Under:  58 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Cal +3, TTU -3; Over/Under:  58 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Cal +2.5, TTU -2.5; Over/Under:  57.5 points

California Golden Bears:  6-6 (4-5) (8th place, Pac-12)

Texas Tech Red Raiders:  6-6 (5-4) (8th place, Big 12)

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California Golden Bears:  won their last game on the road against the UCLA Bruins 33-7.

Texas Tech Red Raiders:  lost their last game on the road against the Texas Longhorns 57-7.

California is entering this game with a 6-6 record overall and they have a 4-5 record in their conference games too. They are 3-3 in their home games, 3-3 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They won their last game against UCLA 33-7. Fernando Mendoza was the starting QB and he completed 19/30 passes for 178 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Jaydn Ott led the team in rushing yards with 80. Jeremiah Hunter led the receivers with 101 receiving yards on 8 catches and 2 TDs. Craig Woodson led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles and 0 assisted tackles while David Reese led the defense in sacks with 3. Craig Woodson and Cade Uluave each came away with 1 interception for them in that game.

 

 

 

Texas Tech is entering this game with a 6-6 record overall and they have a 5-4 record in their conference games too. They are 4-2 in their home games, 2-4 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They lost their last game against Texas 57-7. Behren Morton was the starting QB and he completed 19/36 passes for 88 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Tahj Brooks led the team in rushing yards with 95. Coy Eakin led the receivers with 27 receiving yards on 4 receptions. Ben Roberts led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 7 assisted tackles while Trevon McAlpine, Tony Bradford Jr., and Charles Esters III each led the defense in sacks with 1. Bralyn Lux came away with the only interception for them in that game.

The current betting odds have California listed as a 3 point underdog in this game for the Independence Bowl according to Draftkings Sportsbook. California hasn't looked great in their games this season with their 6-6 record overall but they have been playing a lot better in their games lately and they really did a lot near the end of the season to try and make this game. Meanwhile, Texas Tech hasn't looked great in their games lately with their 6-6 record overall and they have been doing the complete opposite of Cal as Texas Tech has been stumbling to the finish line in their last few games. Their last game they were blown out by Texas and this is a team that has been plagued by injuries all season. Texas Tech hasn't looked good in their games down the stretch and they aren't going to have the motivation here while Cal did everything in their power to win enough games to get here over the last month of the season. The best way to place a bet here is on California to cover the spread in this game. 

California Texas Tech Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, December 16, 2023 (9:15 pm ET start time) is California 31 Texas Tech 10.

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California Golden Bears: 28-47 ATS when the line is +3 to -3. 2-7 ATS off 3 straight wins against conference rivals. 10-18 ATS after allowing 17 points or less in 2 straight games. 9-4 OVER in a bowl game. 9-2 OVER against Big 12 conference opponents. 

Texas Tech Red Raiders: 8-0 ATS off a road loss against a conference rival. 14-5 ATS after scoring 9 points or less last game. 11-5 ATS after 1 or more consecutive losses against the spread. 22-12 OVER in games played on a neutral field. 27-18 OVER after 2 or more consecutive losses against the spread.

California Golden Bears:  M. Mangum (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. G. Daley (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. S. Jackson V (QB) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. I. Ifanse (RB) Out indefinitely - Hand. R. Woodie III (DB) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. J. Thomas (RB) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. E. Saunders (DL) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. K. Doerue (RB) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. B. Cardwell (RB) out for season - Knee.

Texas Tech Red Raiders:  B. Burris (DL) Late Dec - Knee. T. Owens (DB) Ques Sat - Ankle. S. Linton (LB) Ques Sat - Back. C. Robinson (TE) Out indefinitely - Ankle. W. Smith (LB) out for season - Back. I. Smith (LB) out for season - Knee.

“It was a month ago there wasn't a lot of positivity around the program. I think it just speaks to the character of the guys in the room.” - Justin Wilcox after his team’s win against UCLA in their last game. 

“We couldn’t get anything going. Made way too many mistakes, and it’s really frustrating.” - Joey McGuire after his team’s loss against Texas in their last game. 

WR Hunter, Jeremiah 

WR Hightower, Brian 

WR Young, Monroe 

TE Endries, Jack 

QB Mendoza, Fernando  

RB Ott, Jaydn 

FB Alfieri, Andy 

WR Eakin, Coy 

WR Bradley, Jerand 

WR McCray, Drae 

WR Price, Myles 

TE Tharp, Mason  

QB Morton, Behren  

RB Brooks, Tahj 

Passing: F. Mendoza (1447)

Rushing: J. Ott (1261)

Receiving: J. Hunter (675)

Touchdowns: I. Ifanse (13)

Passing: B. Morton (1498)

Rushing: T. Brooks (1447)

Receiving: X. White (495)

Touchdowns: T. Brooks (9)

Coaches:

California Golden Bears: Justin Wilcox (7th season)

Texas Tech Red Raiders: Joey McGuire (2nd season)