#24 Texas (7-5) vs. California (7-5)
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8 PM, ESPN, Wednesday, Dec. 28, San Diego, CA
Why Watch: Both are back to the postseason after a one year hiatus. The Longhorns and Golden Bears are currently on opposite ends of the spectrum as far as momentum goes. Texas dropped three of their last four games, Cal on the other hand won three of their last four, while only losing to No. 4 Stanford by three.
Who to Watch: This one will be all about the running backs. Texas freshman Malcolm Brown returns to full strength after missing three games and playing through two with a turf toe injury. Brown brought in 635 yards and five scores in his first seven games of the year, including a 135 yard, two touchdown performance against Oklahoma State. One of the more overlooked runners in the country, Cal’s Isi Sofele turned in a 1,270 yard season and is still an unknown. The 5-foot-8 junior averaged 142 yards and 6.5 yards a carry over the last four games of the season.
How it’s Going Down: As much as this one is going to be about the running games of each team, the final game note will be determined by whichever quarterback plays better off the play-action pass and doesn’t force the ball into bad situations. The Longhorns will likely play two quarterbacks in sophomore Case McCoy and freshman David Ash. McCoy started the last three, but threw four interceptions in the final game of the year. For Cal, junior Zach Maynard will be in charge. Unlike McCoy, Maynard has big play wideouts in Keenan Allen (1,261 yards) and Marvin Jones (758 yards) to bail him out of tough situations. The Longhorns are still an extremely young team, and a young team playing in their first bowl. In their home state, the Bears get the upset and bounce back season. Pick: California 30 – Texas 20
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