Cal, UCLA Will See Similarities & Differences When They Collide

The Athletic this week pegged one team from each of the Power 4 conferences that will greatly exceed expectations, emerging as “bandwagon” teams that fans can get behind.

Two of those four will collide on Saturday at Memorial Stadium when Cal hosts UCLA in the season opener for both teams. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. for the 95th all-time meeting between the UC siblings, dating back to 1933, and the first since 2023.

The Bears, picked 12th in the ACC preseason media poll, is projected to finish in a tie for fourth place by The Athletic. The Bruins, tabbed 13th in the Big Ten poll, are predicted by the outlet to wind up with a share of fifth place in the nation’s toughest conference.

Both programs would welcome those season outcomes and are hoping for a jump-start Saturday night.

There are parallels between the two programs, but also differences worth noting.

Recent success/failure

Cal and UCLA share this unwelcome distinction: Both have posted losing records seven of the past 10 seasons.

The Bruins were 3-9 last season, losing their first four games and their last five.

The Bears were 7-6 on the heels of five consecutive losing campaigns. But even 7-6 can be misleading: Cal was drubbed 34-0 by San Diego State and 31-10 at Stanford.

The coaches

Cal alum Tosh Lupoi will lead his alma mater and Bob Chesney is the new man in Westwood.

Lupoi, 45, will work his first game as a rookie head coach, having prepped for this opportunity as an assistant — often as defensive coordinator — at Cal, Oregon, Washington, Alabama and in the NFL.

Chesney, 49, has extensive head-coaching experience at the Division III, Division II and FCS levels that positioned him for the past two seasons at FBS newbie James Madison, where he mirrored Curt Cignetti’s performance before him, going 21-6 in two seasons and leading the Dukes into the College Football Playoff last year.

The two men clashed in the CFP, with Lupoi and Oregon holding off Chensey’s JMU squad 51-34.

UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The quarterbacks

Both teams have returning starters at the most important position in sports, and both expect to be better this season.

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele comes off a brilliant freshman season for the Bears, where he passed for more than 200 yards in every game and showed unlimited potential.

Senior Nico Iamaleava came to UCLA last year from Tennessee and passed for 1,928 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also rushed for 505 yards and four TDs. What the Bruins want from him is better consistency.

UCLA transfer running back Wayne Knight | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The supporting casts

Both coaches added substantially to the talent surrounding their quarterbacks, Lupoi bringing aboard 32 transfers and Chesney securing 43 players out of the portal.

In both cases, the teams seemed to have particularly added to their offensive skill positions and offensive line.

Wide receivers Ian Strong and Chase Hendricks, tight end Dorian Thomas and running back Adam Mohammed will play key roles for the Bears. Four players followed Lupoi from Oregon.

Chesney went heavy on defectors from his JMU squad, bringing in 10 players from the 12-2 Dukes, including three O-linemen, wide receiver Landon Ellis, tight end Josh Phifer, defensive lineman Sahir West and linebacker Trent Hendrick.

The headliner among the James Madison arrivals is 5-foot-7, 193-pound fifth-year running back Wayne Knight, who capped a 1,373-yard season with 110 yards against Lupoi and the Ducks.

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