Texas Tech Football to Play Cal in Independence Bowl
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are headed to the Independence Bowl later this month to take on the Cal Bears, according to the Action Network’s Brett McMurphy.
The game is set for Saturday, December 16th at 8:15 p.m. central. The game will be at Independence Stadium.
Texas Tech is coming off a 6-6 season under Joey McGuire after being picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 Preseason Media Poll. The Red Raiders started off slow in 2023 with a 1-3 record through their first four games. Texas Tech won three of their last four games against TCU, Kansas, and UCF to earn a trip to the Independence Bowl.
Meantime, Cal is fresh off of an eighth-place finish in the Pac-12 with an overall record of 6-6. The Bears had a tough start to the season with three wins heading into the final three weeks of the season, but after taking down Washington State, Stanford, and UCLA the Bears earned bowl eligibility. The trip to the Independence Bowl marks the first trip to a bowl game for the Bears since the 2019 season.
Texas Tech has played in 40 bowl games and has a 16-23-1 record in those games. The Red Raiders have been to a bowl game every year since the 2021 season. Last year, Texas Tech played in the Texas Bowl and beat the Ole Miss Rebels 42-25.
The Red Raiders and the Bears have squared off just once in program history back in 2004 with the Red Raiders taking down the Bears 45-31 in the Holiday Bowl. California will now get a shot at earning their first win against the Red Raiders and evening out the series history.
