California Golden Bears vs Illinois Fighting Illini Picks, Odds, Redbox Bowl Prediction 12/30/2019

Game: California Golden Bears vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Monday, December 30, 2019

Redbox Bowl

Location: Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA

TV: FOX

Odds/Point Spread: Illinois +6.5

Total/Over-Under: 42.5

Levi's Stadium is the site where Brandon Peters and the Illinois Fighting Illini will play the California Golden Bears on Monday, December 30 in the Redbox Bowl. Illinois opens this game as 6.5-point underdogs. The Golden Bears are 6-6-0 ATS and 4-8-0 when betting on the total. The Fighting Illini are 5-7-0 when wagering on the over/under and 8-4-0 against the spread.

In their last outing, the California Golden Bears played the UCLA Bruins and earned the victory by a score of 28-18. Christopher Brown Jr. paced the team in rushing during the game. He had a long run of 38 yards and he notched 2 touchdowns for the contest. He scurried for 111 yards via 18 carries which meant he was running for 6.2 yards per carry. Makai Polk was the receiving yardage leader by earning 78 yards on 4 catches. He had an average of 19.5 yards per catch during the game. Running the show from under center for the Golden Bears was Chase Garbers who went 17/29 with 230 yards through the air and threw 1 TD. He gave away 1 pick in the game. The Golden Bears ended up rushing 36 times and earned 182 yards giving them an average of 5.1 yards per rushing attempt. For the contest, the Golden Bears racked up 22 first downs and they had 4 penalties for 50 yards which is telling of how their week of practice went. In the game, they ran 65 plays for a total of 412 yards. In terms of defense, California gave up 31 catches on 48 tries totaling 343 yards, and a completion percentage of 64.6%. Overall, they allowed a total of 401 yards and forced 1 turnover. On the ground, the Golden Bears gave up 58 yards on 35 carries which gave them an average of 1.7 yards per rushing attempt allowed.

The Golden Bears come into this matchup with a record of 7-5 in 2019. For total yards, they sit in 12th in the conference and 119th in the country with 3,878 yards. In terms of scoring, they are one of the worst in the country with an average of 20.1 points per contest, ranking them 117th in the country. As a team, they are averaging 132.4 yards on the ground per contest which is 8th in the Pac-12. The Golden Bears have one of the average defenses in the nation, giving up 22.1 points per contest which has them at 4th in the conference. When it comes to passing yards, the Golden Bears have allowed 2,290 yards. Opponents are completing 64.3% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 7.1 yards per attempt. In regard to rushing yards, California is giving up 123 yards per game putting them 4th in the conference and 26th in the country. Opposing teams are running for an average of 3.5 yards per carry putting them 4th in the conference and 25th in the country overall. In total, they have allowed 1,476 yards rushing through 12 games.

Related: Gambling 101 Series on How Odds are Calculated - Watch Tony George Explain

In their last game, the Illinois Fighting Illini played the Northwestern Wildcats and were defeated 29-10. Dre Brown paced the team on the ground during the game. His longest run of the day went for 6 yards and he tallied 1 touchdown during the game. He ran for 17 yards via 5 carries which gave him an average of 3.4 yards per tote. Caleb Reams led the team in receiving yardage by racking up 57 yards on 5 catches. He averaged 11.4 yards per reception during the game. Running the show from under center for the Fighting Illini was Matt Robinson who went 8/17 with 108 yards through the air but didn't get a passing TD in the game. He finished the game without throwing an interception. The Fighting Illini ran the ball a total of 26 times and generated 14 yards giving them an average of 0.5 yards per rush. In all, they finished with a total of 49 plays for 160 yards. For the contest, the Fighting Illini earned a total of 9 1st downs and they had 5 infractions for 40 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. When discussing the defense, Illinois allowed 6 completions on 10 tries for a total of 55 yards, and a completion percentage of 60.0%. For the game, they allowed 433 yards and earned 1 turnover. On the ground, the Fighting Illini allowed 378 yards on 65 attempts which is an average of 5.8 yards per attempt allowed.

Related: Get college football picks & tips on all of today's games

The Fighting Illini head into this game 6-6. In terms of offensive proficiency, the Fighting Illini have an offense that could be called mediocre in the country. Illinois hasn't done much to make teams fear their rushing game by averaging 142.7 yards on the ground per contest, which has them at 94th in the country. As a unit, they have compiled a total of 1,712 rushing yards through 12 games, so they are going to want to make some changes to the ground game if they want to make teams respect them. The Fighting Illini average 319.7 yards per contest overall putting them 121st in college football and 12th in the Big Ten. The Fighting Illini are allowing 25.4 points per contest which puts them at 10th in the conference and 53rd in college football. Their passing defense is one of the mediocre groups in D-1. They are allowing 207.9 passing yards per game. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Fighting Illini currently sit at 8th in the Big Ten. In regard to points given up, they have given up 305 total points. In regard to yards rushing, they are allowing 203.2 yards per contest which puts them at 110th in the nation and 14th in the conference. This season, they have allowed 2,438 yards on the ground and 18 rushing TDs.

Who will win tonight's Golden Bears/Fighting Illini college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Golden Bears -6.5

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here