Cheez-It Bowl 2018: Cal vs. TCU live stream – Watch online
TCU and Cal collide in Arizona for this year’s Cheez-It Bowl.
Two of college football’s Power Five programs meet in Phoenix as the TCU Horned Frogs face the Cal Golden Bears in the Cheez-It Bowl, formerly known as the Cactus Bowl. Both teams finished with .500 and above records and are looking to end what have been tough seasons on a high note. Cal finished 7-5 and fifth in the Pac-12 while TCU barely reached bowl eligibility at 6-6 with a win over Oklahoma State in the season finale.
After missing out bowl season the past two seasons, new head coach Justin Wilcox finally saw his Bears turn a corner this season. The team started off hot with three straight wins but lost the next three. A win over Oregon State and an upset victory over No. 15 Washington put Cal at 5-3, needing just one more win for a shot at a bowl game. After losing to No. 8 Washington State, Cal clinched eligibility with a 15-14 win over USC. A win over Colorado gave the Bears seven wins, their most since 2015.
Quarterback Chase Garbers has been the steady hand at the controls of the Bears’ offense. He missed two games in October due to injury but is now at full strength. Garbers has thrown 14 touchdowns to just seven interceptions.
Cal also has an effective running game led by Patrick Laird. He leads the team in rushing touchdowns with five and is 68 yards away from a 1,000-yard season. Laird is also tied for first on the team in receiving touchdowns with four. While the senior back is a good weapon in Cal’s passing game, Vic Wharton III, Maurice Ways and Kanawai Noa are the team’s go-to receivers. Wharton leads the team in yards with 502 while Ways and Noa combined for 672.
For TCU and Gary Patterson, what began as a season of promise turned into one to forget. One year removed from the Big 12 Championship Game, the Horned Frogs stumbled early in big games. Two wins to open the year were quickly forgotten after blowout losses to Ohio State and Texas, which ultimately knocked TCU out of the Top 25. After beating Iowa State by three, they lost three straight before narrowly beating a struggling Kansas State team. Another blowout loss to West Virginia put them at 4-6, needing back-to-back wins to go bowling. A narrow road win over Baylor and hard-fought victory over Oklahoma State helped TCU reach a bowl for the fifth consecutive season.
Shawn Robinson was labeled the heir apparent to Kenny Hill, but the sophomore struggled. He was benched in favor of Michael Collins, who suffered a leg injury and whose status for the bowl game remains in doubt. Senior Grayson Muehlstein started the last two games and it seems he will again with Robinson transferring to Missouri. He is coming off a 180-yard and two-touchdown performance against Oklahoma State.
KaVontae Turpin was dismissed from the program earlier this year, proving to be a big blow for the passing game. Fortunately, TCU has found a star in Jalen Reagor. He is one of the top receivers in the Big 12 with 1,061 yards and nine touchdowns on the season. While running back Darius Anderson has not produced like most predicted, he is still one of the more effective backs in the conference. TCU will come in hungry, looking to finish a disappointing year with a bowl win.
This prime-time match-up will be nationally televised on ESPN and can be streamed on Watch ESPN.
How to watch and bet Cal-TCU
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 26
Start time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Stadium: Chase Field
Spread: Cal -1
TV info: ESPN
Stream: Watch ESPN
Prediction: TCU wins and covers the spread.