This Weekend's Results Involving Cal's 2026 Football Opponents

UCLA (2-0) – Beat Cal 45-24 on September 5

Saturday result: UCLA 28, San Diego State 10

UCLA won its home opener before a crowd of 31,976 at the Rose Bowl to stay unbeaten under new head coach Bob Chesney. Neither team scored in the first half, but UCLA running back Wayne Knight scored three second-half touchdowns and finished with 97 yards rushing to beat the Aztecs (1-1). UCLA beat Cal 45-24 in Berkeley last week.

Syracuse (1-1) – Lost to Cal 21-18 on September 12

Saturday result: Cal 21, Syracuse 18

Syracuse, picked to finish 14th in the ACC in the preseason media poll, had 436 yards of total offense to Cal’s 249 yards, but three interceptions by Cal safety Kingston Lopa helped give Tosh :Lupoi his first win as a head coach.

Wagner (1-2) -- Faces Cal in Berkeley on Saturday, September 19

Saturday result: James Madison 87, Wagner 3

James Madison set a school record for points in a game and tied the NCAA record for punt-return touchdowns in a game with three against Wagner, an FCS program. The Dukes also tied South Alabama’s 87-10, 2024 victory over Northwestern State for the most points scored by an FBS team since 1991.

Cal is paying Wagner a $525,000 guarantee to make the trip from Staten Island, New York, to Berkeley to play Saturdays' game, according to Hero Sports.

Clemson (1-1)-- Faces Cal on Friday night, September 25 in Berkeley

Saturday result: Clemson 22, Georgia Southern 7

Clemson freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds made a statement in his competition with Christopher Vizzina for the Tigers’ starting quarterback spot. Coach Dabo Swinney did not commit to a starter for Clemson’s next game against North Carolina after Reynolds got most of the work on Saturday after Vizzina got the start for the second straight week. Reynold went 16-of-27 for 178 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions, and also had 14 carries for 38 rushing yards and one lost fumble.

UNLV (1-2) -- Faces Cal on Saturday, October 3 in Las Vegas

Saturday result: North Texas 44, UNLV 6

UNLV was the preseason pick to win the Mountain West conference title, but the Rebels did not look the part as they committed four turnovers, allowed four sacks and did not score a touchdown in this road loss to an American Conference team. UNLV running back Jai’Den Thomas, a preseason first-team all-Mountain West selection, was limited to 37 yards on 10 carries while North Texas’ Jahlen White had 124 rushing yards for a Mean Green team that lost to Indiana 52-16 in its opener.

Virginia Tech (2-0) -- Faces Cal on Saturday, October 10 in Berkeley

Saturday result: Virginia Tech 44, Old Dominion 21

The Hokies did most of their work through the air as quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer threw for 327 yards and two touchdowns to help Virginia Tech stay unbeaten under new coach James Franklin. The Hokies lost to Old Dominion last year, and head coach Brent Pry was fired the next day after an 0-3 start.

Wake Forest (2-0) -- Faces Cal on Saturday, October 13 in Berkeley

Saturday result: Wake Forest 38, Purdue 36 (2 OT)

Wake Forest quarterback Gio Lopez scored on a 3-yard touchdown run in the second overtime, then ran for the two-point conversion to give the Demon Deacons the win. Purdue thought it had won the game two plays earlier when officials originally ruled the Boilermakers had stopped Carlos Hernandez just short of a first down on a fourth-and-15 play from the Purdue 17-yard line. But upon review, the ball was marked slightly ahead, enough to give Wake a first down.

SMU (2-0) -- Faces Cal on Saturday, October 24 in Dallas

Saturday result: SMU 56, UC Davis 10

SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings was 14-for-16 for 337 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions while playing only the first half. That helped the Mustangs beat FCS-level Davis and move up to No. 16 in the AP poll released Sunday. The teams agreed to play 12-minute quarters in the second half after SMU took a 42-0 lead at halftime.

North Carolina State (1-1) -- Hosts Cal on Saturday, October 31

Friday result: North Carolina State 73, Richmond 0

The Wolfpack set school records for total offense (734 yards) and rushing offense (428 yards) while scoring its most points in a game since 1920 and posting its largest margin of victory since 1908. FCS-level Richmond was the victim.

Virginia (2-0) -- Hosts Cal on Saturday, November 14

Friday result: Virginia 59, Norfolk State 3

Cavaliers quarterback Beau Pribula threw three first-quarter touchdown passes as Virginia cruised by FCS-level Norfolk State, which is coached by former NFL standout Michael Vick. The Cavaliers moved into the AP Top-25 rankings as No. 25 in the poll released Sunday.

Stanford (1-1) -- Faces Cal on Saturday, November 21 in Berkeley

Stanford did not play this weekend and faces Duke on the road this coming Saturday.

Pitt (2-0) -- Faces Cal on Saturday, November 8 in Berkeley

Saturday result: Pitt 12, UCF 7

After passing for seven touchdown in Pitt’s opener last week, Panthers sophomore quarterback Mason Heintschel had no touchdown passes against Central Florida. The defense was the star this time for Pitt in a game that was delayed because of weather conditions. UCF was limited to 20 rushing yards on 22 attempts and 186 total yards. UCF’s only score came on a late fourth-quarter touchdown after scoring 73 points in its opener against Bethune-Cookman.

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