How Cal Will Eke Out a Win In the Cheeze-It Bowl

Cal (7-5)  v  TCU (6-6)

Cheez-It Bowl in Arizona


  A buddy of mine joked that this game might end in 0-0 tie. Yes, it's a snarky joke but, there's some truth to it. Both teams owe their success to defense. Cal's is really good, ranked No.16 nationally. TCU's is a notch below, at No. 26.  But both have crappy offenses that will be overwhelmed by these elite defenses. If you've watched these two defenses handcuff top-flight offenses all season you can't help wondering how either of these puny offenses will ever cross the goal line. A 0-0 tie? Not so far-fetched.

Scoring on Cal will be tough. Only one team, pass-happy Washington State, passed for over 300 yards against that super secondary. In five out of the last six games, the Bear D kept opponents under 100 yards rushing. TCU doesn't have the skill players to make a dent in the Cal defense. The TCU defense, while outstanding, has some holes that Cal will be able to exploit.

TCU, which had a bad stretch mainly due to injuries, lost five out of six games and didn't seem like bowl material. But a solid 3-1 record made them bowl eligible. TCU is just happy to be in a bowl game. Cal, which hasn't been in a bowl game since 2015, feels the same way.

The odds-makers have this one as a pick-em, Agreed. This should be a close, low-scoring game. Because Cal has a slight edge on defense, look for the Bears to eke out a victory.