Wake Forest Kickoff Time and Schedule Announced Against California

Wake will travel cross country to play the Golden Bears on the night of October 17

Oct 3, 2026; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons defensive lineman Dallas Afalava (52) celebrates his interception of Stanford Cardinal quarterback Davis Warren (8) during the second half at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Earlier this week, the ACC announced Week 7 kickoff times. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will face the California Golden Bears on Saturday, October 17. Kickoff is set for 10:30 pm ET at California Memorial Stadium. The game will be televised on either ESPN or ESPN2.

The two programs have faced each other only once in the history of their programs, and it came in 2024 when Cal first joined the ACC. The Golden Bears won the first matchup 46-36, led by future Heisman Trophy winner and No.1 NFL Draft pick Fernando Mendoza. The Deacons hope they can even up the all-time series when they travel to Berkeley.

Cal's Disappointing Beginning

Entering the season, many people saw the Golden Bears as potential dark-horse contenders in the ACC. With star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele returning for his sophomore season in Berkeley, the expectations for Cal's team have not been higher in recent memory.

They started the season with a tough loss at home against UCLA, getting crushed 24-45. They followed that loss with two consecutive wins against Syracuse and Wagner, but then quickly lost the next two games. Clemson gave Cal's offense all kinds of problems in their matchup, and next week Cal's defense failed to stop UNLV's offense at any point. Both resulted in tough losses, making Cal desperate to get their season back on track with a home game against a solid opponent.

Cal is currently ranked No. 12 in our weekly ACC Power Rankings, assembled by the Wake Forest Demon Deacons On SI editorial staff. Wake currently ranks No. 2, but the rankings could shake up ahead of this weekend's game against NC State.

2026 Schedule: Wake Forest Football

Sept. 3 vs. Akron (W, 38-16)
Sept. 12 at Purdue (W, 38-36, 2OT)
Sept. 18 vs. No. 5 Miami (L, 33-20)
Sept. 26 at No. 16 Louisville (W, 30-27)
Oct. 3 vs. Stanford (W, 57-3)
Oct. 10 at NC State, 12 p.m. ET on The CW
Oct. 17 at Cal, 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN or ESPN2
Oct. 31 vs. Virginia, TBA
Nov. 7 vs. Merrimack, 12 p.m. ET, network TBA
Nov. 14 at No. 22 SMU, TBA
Nov. 21 at Georgia Tech, TBA
Nov. 28 vs. Duke, TBA

What's Next for Wake?

Before heading to Berkeley, the Demon Deacons must travel cross-state to face NC State in Raleigh on Saturday, October 10. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET. The CW will televise the game.