Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s a former Pac-12 program from Berkeley that’s now in the ACC hosting a former Pac-12 school from Los Angeles that’s now in the Big Ten, and they’ll play a football game when most of the East Coast is fast asleep.
Be super disappointed, though, if this isn’t worth the lost winks.
UCLA brought in James Madison head coach Bob Chesney to take over, and anyone who says they’re not secretly hoping for the West Coast version of Indiana is lying.
Cal made a whale of a hire, bringing in former Bear defensive lineman Tosh Lopoi to turn the program into a problem for the rest of the ACC.
- This is the 95th meeting between the two. They tied 0-0 in 1933 to start the run, and Cal won the last game 33-7 in 2023.
- Cal has won ten of its last 12 season openers. It starts the ACC season next week at Syracuse.
UCLA hasn’t beaten an FBS team in an opener since Josh Rosen’s epic comeback in a 45-44 win over UCLA in 2017. It hosts San Diego State next week.
This is the 95th meeting between the two. They tied 0-0 in 1933 to start the run, and Cal won the last game 33-7 in 2023.
Cal has won ten of its last 12 season openers. It starts the ACC season next week at Syracuse.
UCLA hasn’t beaten an FBS team in an opener since Josh Rosen’s epic comeback in a 45-44 win over UCLA in 2017. It hosts San Diego State next week.
Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026
Game Time: 10:30 pm ET
TV: ESPN
Location: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CA
– CFN Week 1 Schedule, Predictions
– CFN Week 1 Expert Picks
The defensive line has to take over in this as soon as possible.
Cal loaded up with plenty of talent through the portal, but the offensive line is mostly homegrown. It wasn’t able to do much of anything for the ground game last season and allowed too many plays in the backfield.
Welcome to the UCLA defensive line that got a massive infusion of talent. It finished last in the nation with just ten sacks, but the combination of Aiden Gobaria and Sahir West from James Madison should fix this right away. This had better work because …
– UCLA 2026 Preview
You’re not being pretentious to argue that Cal has the best quarterback in college football, at least when it comes to pro potential. Fine, so that Arch guy in Austin will be pretty good, but Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has all the tools and talent to keep developing into something special.
Lupoi was able to keep him around, and if he gets time, he’ll carve up the UCLA secondary all day long. Cal, though, will want to try powering away early, but JKS is a wonderful option to have to open things up if needed.
– Cal 2026 Preview
It’s just the beginning for both of these programs. There might not be a massive playoff-level turnaround right away, but there’s talent, energy, and the ability to screw up a whole lot of good teams on their respective schedules.
Cal might have the best player on the field in Sagapolutele, but UCLA’s own quarterback – Nico Iamaleava – is good, too, and there’s a bit more talent around him. Cal is about to go from solid to better, but UCLA will go from quirky bad to terrific right away under Chesney.
Both teams will look great, with UCLA getting out on a walk-off field goal.
UCLA 27, Cal 24
Latest Consensus Line: UCLA -1.5, o/u: 53.5
ATS Confidence (out of 5): 1
Must See Rating (out of 5): 4
Consensus line based on BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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