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Cal’s Complete 2024 Football Schedule Announced

January 24, 2024
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The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its complete 2024 football schedule Wednesday with Cal's slate highlighted by the Golden Bears' first ACC game Sept. 21 at Florida State and four home league contests in their inaugural season as members of the ACC against Miami (Oct. 5), North Carolina State (Oct. 19), Syracuse (Nov. 16) and Stanford (Nov. 23).

Cal's seven-game home schedule also includes three nonconference dates beginning with the Aug. 31 season opener against UC Davis, while the Bears also host San Diego State (Sept. 14) and Oregon State (Oct. 26), with the game against their former Pac-12 opponent Beavers moved from its previously announced date.

The Bears open a five-game road schedule Sept. 7 with the return game of a home-and-home series with SEC foe Auburn. After its Sept. 21 visit to Tallahassee, Cal will have ACC road contests at Pittsburgh (Oct. 12), Wake Forest (Nov. 8) and SMU (Nov. 30).

The ACC Championship Game is slated for Dec. 7 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

All Cal games are on Saturdays other than a Friday contest at Wake Forest, while the Bears have byes in Weeks 5 and 10. Kickoff times and television networks for all contests will be announced at later dates.

Cal has played a total of 12 previous games against its seven 2024 regular-season ACC opponents other than Stanford (Miami 2-2, Pittsburgh 2-3, SMU 0-1, Syracuse 1-1) most recently with a 2008 victory over Miami at the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco.

The announcement of the ACC's complete schedule concluded a three-day unveiling of the league's 2024 football slate that is being capped with extensive coverage Wednesday beginning at 2 p.m. PT on the ACC Huddle: 2024 Football Schedule Release Show on the ACC Network and ESPN2. All announcements were also featured on the ACC Network's ACC PM and are part of a full week of football coverage and commentary including interviews with all 17 of the league's head football coaches on the ACC Network and ACC Sirius XM.

Cal will feature a 2024 Heisman Trophy candidate in junior running back Jaydn Ott, who rushed for 1,315 yards and 12 touchdowns on 246 carries over 12 games in 2023 while leading the Pac-12 and finishing ninth nationally with an average of 109.6 rushing yards per contest. Ott earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors and was an honorable mention All-American pick by Phil Steele as a 2023 sophomore. In his first two seasons at Cal, he has rushed for 2,212 yards and 20 touchdowns on 416 carries over 24 games and 22 starts.

X / ACC Football
Complete 2024 ACC football schedule



All six players from Cal's 2023 Independence Bowl squad that were selected to the All-Pac-12 Football Team last season return in 2024, with Ott joined by second-team punter Lachlan Wilson, honorable mention choices OLB David Reese and DB Craig Woodson, and a pair of freshman honorees in Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year ILB Cade Uluave and Freshman Offensive Player of the Year honorable mention selection QB Fernando Mendoza.

Uluave and TE Jack Endries were also 2023 Freshman All-American picks with Uluave a three-time first-teamer (College Football Network, FWAA, The Athletic), while Endries earned first-team recognition from College Football News and second-team honors from The Athletic, in addition to being an honorable mention choice of College Football News.

The returnees will be joined by a 2024 recruiting class that is led by a transfer portal group that ranks as high as No. 6 nationally according to On3 and currently sits at a total of 28 members including 19 who joined the Bears as mid-year enrollees earlier this month.

Visit CalBears.com to place a 2024 Cal football season-ticket deposit. Season-ticket holders receive benefits such as season parking, the ability to transfer, exchange, sell and purchase additional tickets, and much more.

Fans can also check out the Cal Athletic Fund online to support the Cal football program via the Championship CALiber initiative.

2024 CALIFORNIA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Date – Opponent
Aug. 31 – UC Davis
Sept. 7 – at Auburn
Sept. 14 – San Diego State
Sept. 21 – at Florida State*
Oct. 5 – Miami*
Oct. 12 – at Pittsburgh*
Oct. 19 – North Carolina State*
Oct. 26 – Oregon State
Nov. 8 – at Wake Forest*
Nov. 16 – Syracuse*
Nov. 23 – Stanford*
Nov. 30 – at SMU*
Dec. 7 – ACC Football Championship Game+
Home Games In Bold At California Memorial Stadium; *ACC Game; +At Bank Of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC; All Games On Saturdays Other Than Friday Game At Wake Forest; Kickoff Times And Broadcast Television Networks To Be Announced At Later Dates

Discussion from...

Cal’s Complete 2024 Football Schedule Announced

6,649 Views | 38 Replies | Last: 3 mo ago by southseasbear
WalterSobchak
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Big Game date retained
No back-to-back road games
2x back-to-back home games, both in second half of season
3 equal segments of 4 games separated by Byes
OSU moved to accommodate first Bye
Byes before hosting Miami and going to Wake
Extra day returning from Wake to host Cuse
SMU is our new Ucla (post BG after Thanksgiving)

Go Bears!
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Cal Junkie
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WalterSobchak said:

Big Game date retained
No back-to-back road games
2x back-to-back home games, both in second half of season
3 equal segments of 4 games separated by Byes
OSU moved to accommodate first Bye
Byes before hosting Miami and going to Wake
Extra day returning from Wake to host Cuse
SMU is our new Ucla (post BG after Thanksgiving)

Go Bears!

I bet we also get far better time/TV slots than what the Pac 12 offered. This massively expands our recruiting footprint; the ACC is not a banishment, it could well be a fresh start and ... an opportunity. Florida State could be hot and muggy, Syracuse could be cold and nippy. Generally we're good other than the travel considerations.
StarsDoMatter
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Cal Junkie said:

WalterSobchak said:

Big Game date retained
No back-to-back road games
2x back-to-back home games, both in second half of season
3 equal segments of 4 games separated by Byes
OSU moved to accommodate first Bye
Byes before hosting Miami and going to Wake
Extra day returning from Wake to host Cuse
SMU is our new Ucla (post BG after Thanksgiving)

Go Bears!

I bet we also get far better time/TV slots than what the Pac 12 offered. This massively expands our recruiting footprint; the ACC is not a banishment, it could well be a fresh start and ... an opportunity. Florida State could be hot and muggy, Syracuse could be cold and nippy. Generally we're good other than the travel considerations.


I hope we take advantage of this opportunity.. could be our last.

Also doesn't Syracuse play inside?
Cal88
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Yes, Syracuse has a domed stadium on campus, but in any case it's in Berkeley this year.

@Pitt might be a nice roadie, Oct 12 being near peak foliage season there, perfect timing for that venue:
https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/blog/fall-in-love-with-pittsburgh-fall-foliage/
https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/blog/fall-fairs-festivals-and-events/

The schedule looks good! The hottest place potentially is Dallas/SMU, and it's in late November - perfect.

@FSU Sept 21 might be a night game?
BearSD
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C said:

@FSU Sept 21 might be a night game?
My guess is a 9 am PT start for that game.
Cal88
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Could be, althought a 3:30pm EST kickoff also is a possibility, and evening is not out of the question, based on their last schedule:

https://fbschedules.com/2023-florida-state-football-schedule/
Econ141
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wc22
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Hard games:
@FSU (talent and coaching, definitely a Top 25 Team and probably Top 10)
NC State (consistently decent to good recently and kept their talent, probably a Top 25 team)

Tough games that may be hard games:
Miami (very talented team, just needs to put it together)
@Auburn (very. talented team, just needs to put it together)

Games that could be easy or could be tough:

@Pitt (they had a down year but have had relatively recent success)
Syracuse (they have a very good portal class including a good QB)
Stanford (Troy Taylor is a good coach and the Big Game has had tons of upsets)

Games we better win:
UC Davis
Oregon State (they had a mass exodus of talent and now have unproven coaching)
San Diego State (they have a new coach and lost talent overall to the portal)
Wake Forest (we are coming off a bye and the portal hasn't been kind to them)
bipolarbear
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Cal88 said:

Yes, Syracuse has a domed stadium on campus, but in any case it's in Berkeley this year.

@Pitt might be a nice roadie, Oct 12 being near peak foliage season there, perfect timing for that venue:
https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/blog/fall-in-love-with-pittsburgh-fall-foliage/
https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/blog/fall-fairs-festivals-and-events/

The schedule looks good! The hottest place potentially is Dallas/SMU, and it's in late November - perfect.

@FSU Sept 21 might be a night game?
At Auburn (Sept. 7) will be hot and humid (tho not conference)
oskidunker
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Why no times for out of conference games?
Go Bears!
Alkiadt
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oskidunker said:

Why no times for out of conference games?


TV will decide times later.
Golden One
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With a good head coach, we could go 10-2 or 9-3 with this schedule. With Wilcox, we will likely be 7-5 or 6-6. We have at least 3 more years of suffering, maybe 4.
Bearly Clad
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I'm JAG so if you wanna wait until it's confirmed then that's fine but my sources are also telling me that we have ZERO late-night games on the P12 network so people can actually see us play!
TedfordTheGreat
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wc22 said:

Hard games:
@FSU (talent and coaching, definitely a Top 25 Team and probably Top 10)
NC State (consistently decent to good recently and kept their talent, probably a Top 25 team)

Tough games that may be hard games:
Miami (very talented team, just needs to put it together)
@Auburn (very. talented team, just needs to put it together)

Games that could be easy or could be tough:

@Pitt (they had a down year but have had relatively recent success)
Syracuse (they have a very good portal class including a good QB)
Stanford (Troy Taylor is a good coach and the Big Game has had tons of upsets)

Games we better win:
UC Davis
Oregon State (they had a mass exodus of talent and now have unproven coaching)
San Diego State (they have a new coach and lost talent overall to the portal)
Wake Forest (we are coming off a bye and the portal hasn't been kind to them)


agree mostly. not sold on taylor yet. other than that hes a cal guy. why do people say hes a good coach? hes a TBD at best
sefton
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Quote:

bet we also get far better time/TV slots than what the Pac 12 offered. This massively expands our recruiting footprint; the ACC is not a banishment, it could well be a fresh start and ... an opportunity.
I am slowly warming to this in dribs and drabs. Statements like these coming other than from my bear-fan-bent mind, assist my attitude.
bear2034
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01Bear
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I can see Cal finishing 8-4 with this schedule. Cal will probably win the Davis and SDSU games, lose FSU, win/lose one of Miami/Auburn, win at Pitt, lose to NCSU, beat OSU, WF, Syracuse, and Stanfurd before losing at SMU. With some lucky breaks, Cal could even finish as high as 9-3 or even as high as 10-2.

That said it's possible Cal loses both the Miami and Auburn games as well as at Pitt and the Big Game to finish 5-7. But barring injuries, this latter is unlikely. At a minimum, Cal likely finishes 6-6, but more likely 7-5 or 8-4.

Realistically, next year's floor is 6-6 and the ceiling is 8-4.
calumnus
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wc22 said:

Hard games:
@FSU (talent and coaching, definitely a Top 25 Team and probably Top 10)
NC State (consistently decent to good recently and kept their talent, probably a Top 25 team)

Tough games that may be hard games:
Miami (very talented team, just needs to put it together)
@Auburn (very. talented team, just needs to put it together)

Games that could be easy or could be tough:

@Pitt (they had a down year but have had relatively recent success)
Syracuse (they have a very good portal class including a good QB)
Stanford (Troy Taylor is a good coach and the Big Game has had tons of upsets)

Games we better win:
UC Davis
Oregon State (they had a mass exodus of talent and now have unproven coaching)
San Diego State (they have a new coach and lost talent overall to the portal)
Wake Forest (we are coming off a bye and the portal hasn't been kind to them)


@SMU could be tough. Could get a lot of hype if both teams have good seasons.
oskidunker
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Likely over flow games on The CW network means Kron ch 4 inn the bay area.Better than the pac12
Go Bears!
MinotStateBeav
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Alright, lets place bets on the first ACC school to ban the Furd Band from attendance. I think Wake Forest would be a pretty easy call, but I'm going Florida State.
baytobreakers
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When will we see notre dame's future opponent schedule updated?
calumnus
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01Bear said:

I can see Cal finishing 8-4 with this schedule. Cal will probably win the Davis and SDSU games, lose FSU, win/lose one of Miami/Auburn, win at Pitt, lose to NCSU, beat OSU, WF, Syracuse, and Stanfurd before losing at SMU. With some lucky breaks, Cal could even finish as high as 9-3 or even as high as 10-2.

That said it's possible Cal loses both the Miami and Auburn games as well as at Pitt and the Big Game to finish 5-7. But barring injuries, this latter is unlikely. At a minimum, Cal likely finishes 6-6, but more likely 7-5 or 8-4.

Realistically, next year's floor is 6-6 and the ceiling is 8-4.


According to Sagarin, if the games were played this year it would have been:

Davis W
@Auburn L
SDSU W
Miami T
@Pitt W
NCState T
OSU L
@Wake W
Syracuse W
Stanford W
@SMU L

That is your 6-6 or 8-4 if we beat Miami and NC State. I think we can put OSU in at least the T for 9-3 as possible.

That said, Wilcox has not won a conference game outside of California since 2019 so @Pitt and @Wake maybe should be considered Ts as well. Bloesch as OC is a big question mark. If he is a success 9 wins is very doable. If he is a flop 5-7 or worse is possible.

Can't wait to find out.
75bear
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01Bear said:

I can see Cal finishing 8-4 with this schedule. Cal will probably win the Davis and SDSU games, lose FSU, win/lose one of Miami/Auburn, win at Pitt, lose to NCSU, beat OSU, WF, Syracuse, and Stanfurd before losing at SMU. With some lucky breaks, Cal could even finish as high as 9-3 or even as high as 10-2.

That said it's possible Cal loses both the Miami and Auburn games as well as at Pitt and the Big Game to finish 5-7. But barring injuries, this latter is unlikely. At a minimum, Cal likely finishes 6-6, but more likely 7-5 or 8-4.

Realistically, next year's floor is 6-6 and the ceiling is 8-4.
That's a lot of words to say we're going 7-5!
ninetyfourbear
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S and S back to back. Yet neither is S tier.
BearSD
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bear2034 said:




The GT fan's comment is almost but not quite correct.

Four 2024 ACC teams didn't play in a bowl in 2023: Pitt, UVa, Wake, and Stanford. Clemson will play all four in 2024. Cal won't play UVa but will play the other three.
Gobears49
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wc22 said:

Hard games:
@FSU (talent and coaching, definitely a Top 25 Team and probably Top 10)
NC State (consistently decent to good recently and kept their talent, probably a Top 25 team)

Tough games that may be hard games:
Miami (very talented team, just needs to put it together)
@Auburn (very. talented team, just needs to put it together)

Games that could be easy or could be tough:

@Pitt (they had a down year but have had relatively recent success)
Syracuse (they have a very good portal class including a good QB)
Stanford (Troy Taylor is a good coach and the Big Game has had tons of upsets)

Games we better win:
UC Davis
Oregon State (they had a mass exodus of talent and now have unproven coaching)
San Diego State (they have a new coach and lost talent overall to the portal)
Wake Forest (we are coming off a bye and the portal hasn't been kind to them)
All 2023 ACC members won and lost records. Not very good except for FSU and SMU.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/standings
01Bear
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calumnus said:

01Bear said:

I can see Cal finishing 8-4 with this schedule. Cal will probably win the Davis and SDSU games, lose FSU, win/lose one of Miami/Auburn, win at Pitt, lose to NCSU, beat OSU, WF, Syracuse, and Stanfurd before losing at SMU. With some lucky breaks, Cal could even finish as high as 9-3 or even as high as 10-2.

That said it's possible Cal loses both the Miami and Auburn games as well as at Pitt and the Big Game to finish 5-7. But barring injuries, this latter is unlikely. At a minimum, Cal likely finishes 6-6, but more likely 7-5 or 8-4.

Realistically, next year's floor is 6-6 and the ceiling is 8-4.


According to Sagarin, if the games were played this year it would have been:

Davis W
@Auburn L
SDSU W
Miami T
@Pitt W
NCState T
OSU L
@Wake W
Syracuse W
Stanford W
@SMU L

That is your 6-6 or 8-4 if we beat Miami and NC State. I think we can put OSU in at least the T for 9-3 as possible.

That said, Wilcox has not won a conference game outside of California since 2019 so @Pitt and @Wake maybe should be considered Ts as well. Bloesch as OC is a big question mark. If he is a success 9 wins is very doable. If he is a flop 5-7 or worse is possible.

Can't wait to find out.

I'm thinking OSU is a win since DJ Uiagalelei transferred out. I haven't been keeping tabs on their transfer portal, but I suspect most of their impact players have left. That suggests Cal should be able to beat them.

I'd be surprised if Cal beat NC St, though. The Wolfpack were a good team last year. I don't know if any of their better players left and whether they were replaced. But if Cal played them at the end of last season (after the UCLA game), I suspect it would've been a close game but Cal would've lost in the end.

As for Auburn, I remember thinking that was a guaranteed L this time last year. However, the actual game showed Cal could've won (with a couple breaks and better coaching). Cal could win next year, but it'll still be a difficult game and will likely come down to the final possession.

I do like the possibility of Cal going 9-3 next year, though!
01Bear
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75bear said:

01Bear said:

I can see Cal finishing 8-4 with this schedule. Cal will probably win the Davis and SDSU games, lose FSU, win/lose one of Miami/Auburn, win at Pitt, lose to NCSU, beat OSU, WF, Syracuse, and Stanfurd before losing at SMU. With some lucky breaks, Cal could even finish as high as 9-3 or even as high as 10-2.

That said it's possible Cal loses both the Miami and Auburn games as well as at Pitt and the Big Game to finish 5-7. But barring injuries, this latter is unlikely. At a minimum, Cal likely finishes 6-6, but more likely 7-5 or 8-4.

Realistically, next year's floor is 6-6 and the ceiling is 8-4.
That's a lot of words to say we're going 7-5!

If all the key players stay healthy, I think Cal goes 8-4. 7-5 would be disappointing, IMHO. 6-6 or worse would be an abject failure by the coaching staff.
philly1121
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My picks:

UC Davis: W
Auburn: L
SDSU: W
FSU: L
The U: L
Pitt: W
NC State: L
OSU: W
Wake: W
Syracuse: W
Stanford: W
SMU: L

We always seem to choke the last game. 7-5. If we are any worse than that - fire everyone.
calumnus
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philly1121 said:

My picks:

UC Davis: W
Auburn: L
SDSU: W
FSU: L
The U: L
Pitt: W
NC State: L
OSU: W
Wake: W
Syracuse: W
Stanford: W
SMU: L

We always seem to choke the last game. 7-5. If we are any worse than that - fire everyone.



As of right now, losing to SMU in Dallas would not be a "choke." Winning would be an upset. Your guesses seem good.

However, we were shut down and went scoreless the last three quarters against Texas Tech. Hopefully that was an anomaly but I need to see more from Bloesch and Wilcox's latest offensive braintrust before I predict our record.

It would cost Cal $15 million to fire Wilcox after next season. Without that it already looks like the athletic department is going to have a $30 million (?) deficit? With multiple lawsuits related to women's swimming and soccer? Wilcox has a losing record overall and has had losing records four seasons in a row now. I don't think a 5th alone will get him fired given that $15 million+ expense. I am sure 6-6 and a bowl will be again cheered as a good enough season.
philly1121
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I would regard i as a choke if we make good on my prediction that we won the previous 4 games, were on a roll, and then caved in at the last game. I'm not sure how Pitt or NC State did in the transfer portal. Miami gained some decent players but also lost a lot of them.

"Fire everyone" was just an expression. I doubt that will happen. Even if we go 5-7. Which is a possibility. Our bad decision-making forces us to ride it out until the the money lost is less onerous.
calumnus
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philly1121 said:

I would regard i as a choke if we make good on my prediction that we won the previous 4 games, were on a roll, and then caved in at the last game. I'm not sure how Pitt or NC State did in the transfer portal. Miami gained some decent players but also lost a lot of them.

"Fire everyone" was just an expression. I doubt that will happen. Even if we go 5-7. Which is a possibility. Our bad decision-making forces us to ride it out until the the money lost is less onerous.


Agreed. If things go right there could be a lot of hype for that Thanksgiving weekend matchup with SMU.
DoubtfulBear
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baytobreakers said:

When will we see notre dame's future opponent schedule updated?
it's already out https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/schedule/_/id/87/notredame-fighting-irish
DaveLibbey
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With this schedule in the ACC, we go undefeated.
Bobodeluxe
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DaveLibbey said:

With this schedule in the ACC, we go undefeated.
17-0.

No doubt about it.
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