Brenden Welper | NCAA.com | December 30, 2019

California vs. Illinois: 2019 Redbox Bowl prediction, time, TV channel, preview

These are the must-watch bowl games (outside of CFP) in December

California (7-5) and Illinois (6-6) will square off in the 2019 Redbox Bowl. Find the game time, television info, preview and score prediction below.

Kickoff is at 4 p.m. ET today, Dec. 30 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It will be televised on Fox and stream on Fox Sports Live.

California vs. Illinois: Redbox Bowl preview, prediction

The 2019 Redbox Bowl will be the 11th all-time meeting between the Golden Bears and Fighting Illini, and the first since 2005. Illinois leads the series 7-3, but California has won the last two.

The Golden Bears opened the season 4-0. A 20-19 victory over then-No. 14 Washington on Sept. 7 highlighted their fast start, and California soared up to No. 15 in the AP poll.

The Bears then dropped four straight and were out of the AP Top 25 for good. But they did manage to go 3-1 over their last four games. In doing so, California matched last season's win total. A victory over Illinois would be the best single-season total of head coach Justin Wilcox's three-year tenure.

BOWL CENTRAL: Complete bowl schedule, TV listings

The Illini also lost four in a row this season. That slide came after a 2-0 start, but the losing streak ended in dramatic fashion.

Illinois stunned then-No. 6 Wisconsin 24-23 on Oct. 19 to hand the Badgers their first loss of the season. It was the Illini's first win against a top-10 team since 2007 and it sparked a four-game winning streak.

They became bowl eligible after erasing a 25-point deficit against Michigan State to win 37-34 in East Lansing.

California vs. Illinois: Redbox Bowl prediction

While playing in eight games, California quarterback Chase Garbers has only thrown three interceptions this season. On the flip side, he has just 10 touchdown passes as scoring has been hard to come by for the Golden Bears.

They found the end zone just 30 times in the regular season.

CONFERENCE COMPARISON: Tracking each conference through bowl season

The Fighting Illini, by comparison, have scored 42 touchdowns this year. They also average 5.4 more points per game than California. If they can hold the Golden Bears to under their season average (21.9 points per game), Illinois should capture its first bowl win since 2011.

The prediction: Illinois 24, California 10

california		illinois
7-5 (4-5 Pac-12)	Record (Conference)	6-6 (4-5 Big Ten)
21.9	Points per game	27.3
22.1	Points allowed	25.4
323.0	Yards per game	319.4
190.8	Passing YPG	177.0
132.3	Rushing YPG	142.4
385.5	Yards allowed per game	409.6
262.4	Passing yards allowed	208.0
123.1	Rushing yards allowed	201.6
Chase Garbers 1,500 yards (10 TD, 3 INT)	Passing	Brandon Peters 1,611 yards (17 TD, 7 INT)
Christopher Brown Jr. 794 yards (4.2 per att.), 8 TD	Rushing	Reggie Corbin 634 yards (4.9 per att.), 6 TD
Nikko Remigio 477 yards, 2 TD	Receiving	Josh Imatorbhebhe 634 yards, 9 TD
Cameron Goode 51 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 1 FF	Defensive leader	Jake Hansen 72 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 INT, 7 FF, 3 FR

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