Teams looking to avoid a losing record meet when the California Golden Bears battle the Texas Tech Red Raiders at the 2023 Independence Bowl on Saturday in Shreveport, La. The Golden Bears (6-6) are having their best season since going 8-5 in 2019 when they capped it off with a 35-20 win over Illinois in the Redbox Bowl. The Red Raiders (6-6) are looking to avoid their first losing season since going 4-6 in 2020. Texas Tech has earned bowl bids in each of the past two seasons, going 2-0 in those games, including a 42-25 win over Ole Miss in the Texas Bowl last year.
Kickoff from Independence Stadium is scheduled for 9:15 p.m. ET. The Bears had the fourth-best rushing offense, averaging 181.1 yards rushing per game, while the Red Raiders were eighth in the Big 12 at 165.8 yards. The Red Raiders are 3.5-point favorite sin the latest California vs. Texas Tech odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 57. Before making any Texas Tech vs. California picks, check out the college football predictions and betting advice from Tom Fornelli.
A CBS Sports writer since 2010, the entertaining Fornelli is perhaps best known for his college football expertise. He co-hosts the popular Cover 3 Podcast and appears regularly on CBS Sports HQ. You’ll get maximum access to Fornelli’s picks only on SportsLine. What’s more, he has demonstrated a particularly sharp eye for the Cal Bears. In fact, Fornelli is on a 5-0 roll on college football picks involving California. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, he has set his sights on Texas Tech vs. Cal and locked in his picks and CFB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the FBS college football odds and betting lines for Cal vs. Texas Tech:
- California vs. Texas Tech spread: Texas Tech -3.5
- California vs. Texas Tech over/under: 57 points
- California vs. Texas Tech money line: California +143, Texas Tech -172
- CAL: The Bears have won three straight games (+4.80 units on ML)
- TT: The Red Raiders have hit the game total under in 8 of their last 13 games (+2.50 units)
- California vs. Texas Tech picks: See picks at SportsLine
- California vs. Texas Tech live stream: fubo (try for free)
Why Texas Tech can cover
Senior wide receiver Xavier White continues to be a big part of the Red Raiders offense. In five seasons with the team, he has 128 career receptions for 1,463 yards (11.4 average) and six touchdowns. This season, he has caught 34 passes for a team-high 495 yards (14.6 average) and one touchdown. His touchdown came in a 27-14 loss at BYU on Oct. 21, when he caught three passes for 98 yards, including a 72-yarder.
Defensively, freshman linebacker Ben Roberts has had a tremendous season. He leads Tech with 100 tackles, including 53 solo, including one-half sack for two yards. Roberts has forced two fumbles and intercepted one pass he returned five yards. Despite the Red Raiders’ big loss at No. 7 Texas on Nov. 24, he made 13 stops, including six solo. He also had 10 tackles, including five solo, in the loss at BYU. See which team to pick here.
Why California can cover
Wide receiver Jeremiah Hunter has been solid this season and leads the team with 58 receptions for 669 yards (11.5 average) and seven touchdowns. The third-year player has at least three catches in each of the 11 games he has played in. At UCLA in the regular-season finale, he caught eight passes for 101 yards (12.6 average) and two touchdowns. For his career, he has 139 receptions for 2,022 yards (14.5 average) and 13 touchdowns.
Among California’s top players on defense is redshirt junior defensive back Craig Woodson. The fourth-year player has registered 78 tackles, including a team-high 52 solo, with three pass breakups and one interception. He has forced two fumbles. For his career, he has made 174 stops, including 122 solo, with three forced fumbles, eight pass breakups and three interceptions, including one he returned 41 yards for a score in 2022. See which team to pick here.
How to make California vs. Texas Tech picks
Fornelli is leaning Under on the total. He’s also found a critical x-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. See what it is at SportsLine.
Who wins Texas Tech vs. Cal, and which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Cal vs. Texas Tech spread to jump on, all from the analyst on a 5-0 Cal run, and find out.
