Holiday Bowl Odds - California vs Texas

• Monday, December 26th, 2011

  By  Ken Williams

  

  Two teams going in opposite directions meet on Wednesday night as California faces Texas in the Holiday Bowl. Both teams are 7-5 but the Golden Bears have won three of their last four games while the Longhorns have lost three of their last four. Holiday Bowl odds have Texas as a 3-point favorite with the total at 48.

  This game on Wednesday night can be seen on ESPN and it will feature live football betting at BetDSI Sportsbook.

  Texas started the season at 4-0 and it was thought that the past glory of the Longhorns could be recaptured this season. The fast start was a mirage though as the Longhorns ended up with a record of 7-5 including an ugly blowout loss to Baylor in their regular season finale. Texas head coach Mack Brown is trying to put a positive spin on things. "The kids have been resilient," Brown said. "They've done a good job. We just need to finish with our eighth win." Texas is simply an overrated team that is no longer a national power. Texas no longer has a top notch quarterback to lead the program. Garrett Gilbert started the season but was so bad he actually quit the team and transferred. David Ash and Case McCoy haven’t been much better although at least McCoy has given them a spark at times. The problem for McCoy is he continually turns the ball over. Both quarterbacks may end up playing in the bowl game. The Texas defense is good, but not great. They are 14th in the country and solid against the run but against the pass they have been weak. That is a major concern as they go against California.

  California is led by quarterback Zach Maynard and running back Isi Sofele.

  In the last four games, Sofele averaged 141.3 yards per game. "I'm really proud of the strong finish of our team," coach Jeff Tedford said. "It shows a lot of character to fight through some adversity earlier in the year to play well down the stretch. That's the mark of a quality football team, one that continues to improve and get better.”

  Game Trends

  This will be the fifth time that Texas has played in the Holiday Bowl and they are 2-2 in the game. California lost the 2004 Holiday Bowl to Texas Tech but they won the 2006 Holiday Bowl against Texas A&M. The Golden Bears are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. the Big 12. The Longhorns are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite. The Longhorns are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 bowl games. Keep up with the latest college football betting news by checking out the BetDSI Channel on Youtube.