The California Golden Bears and Texas Tech Red Raiders square off in Saturday's Independence Bowl, and we have you covered with our California vs. Texas Tech prediction for the Independence Bowl based on the best college football odds at our college football betting sites.
Adding to the already abundant football betting options on Saturday, with 10 games across college football and the NFL, the night concludes with the Independence Bowl, featuring California (6-6) and Texas Tech (6-6). This game has the second-highest betting total of the day.
It's expected in a matchup between two teams that rank in the top 25 in plays per game. Still, will either side showcase enough offensive firepower to surpass this high total at the best sportsbooks?
As part of our look at all college bowl game odds, here is our best California vs. Texas Tech prediction and our college football picks for Saturday's Independence Bowl (odds via our best college football betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
California vs. Texas Tech prediction: Independence Bowl
At times last year, California looked like one of the worst teams in all of college football. This season, the Golden Bears are riding a three-game win streak into their first bowl appearance in four years.
It's been an incredible turnaround for head coach Justin Wilcox in his seventh year at the helm. Still, there remain s ome major issues with this group, particularly on the offensive end.
Although Cal showcased the 38th-best scoring offense in the nation, averaging 31.6 points per game, its performance in yards per game (395.7) and third-down conversion rate (39.1%) placed it outside the top 50. Additionally, despite freshman Fernando Mendoza's engaging narrative as the quarterback, he has thrown for fewer than 200 yards in three of his last four games and has thrown interceptions in six out of his seven starts.
Conversely, Texas Tech is also down to its backup QB after losing starter Tyler Shough earlier this season. His replacement, Behren Morton, has struggled to push the ball downfield, and he'll be without five of his receivers – including starters Myles Price and Jerand Bradley – after they all hit the transfer portal. Our Shane Jackson is targeting at least one TTU receiver to exceed expectations in his top player props for Saturday's action.
I do expect both running backs to be featured prominently on Saturday, which is good news for Under bettors. Both of these teams rank in the top 25 in plays per game, but I'd be surprised if these offenses hit their usual marks in what's likely to be a grind-it-out game in Shreveport.
Our Mike Spector has a pick for California running back Jaydn Ott in his college bowl game player props and best bets.
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California vs. Texas Tech best odds
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 56.5 | Under 56.5 | Under 57 | Under 56.5 | Under 56.5 |
| -108 | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Four of our five best sportsbooks are dealing a total of 56.5 for this year's Independence Bowl, which is the second-highest total for any game on Saturday.
The lone outlier is BetMGM, which is hanging a market-high 57 points for Saturday's matchup – another reminder that it pays to shop around to get the best price among our best sports betting apps.
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California vs. Texas Tech odds
California vs. Texas Tech odds analysis
This game opened at California -1.5 but has since flipped to a market co nsensus of Texas Tech -3, even with transfers and opt-outs hindering the Red Raiders' scoring attack.
To that point, we've already seen this total bet down from an opening number of 58.5 to a consensus total of 56.5 across our best sports betting sites. Again, the lone outlier is BetMGM at 57, which is the number we're targeting for Saturday's game.
Independence Bowl game info
- When: Saturday, Dec. 16 at 9:15 p.m. ET
- Where: Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
- How to watch: ESPN
- Weather: 49 degrees, 7-mph winds, 0% chance of precipitation
California-Texas Tech prediction made Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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