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2023 Cal Football Schedule Announced

January 18, 2023
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BERKELEY – California's 2023 football schedule will feature six home games, highlighted by the Golden Bears' first-ever meeting with perennial national power Auburn in the Sept. 9 home opener and an Oct. 28 visit from USC in the Trojans' final season in the Pac-12.

The Pac-12 announced the entire schedule for each of its teams Wednesday and the remainder of Cal's home lineup includes games against conference foes Arizona State (Sept. 30), Oregon State (Oct. 7) and Washington State (Nov. 11). The Bears will also host Idaho in a non-league contest on Sept. 16.

Cal opens its 2023 season on the road over Labor Day weekend at North Texas (Sept. 2) and will take Pac-12 trips to Washington (Sept. 23), Utah (Oct. 14), Oregon (Nov. 4), Stanford (Nov. 18) and UCLA (Nov. 25).

The Bears have a single bye on their schedule the week between games at Utah and against USC.

All 12 of Cal's regular-season contests are on Saturdays and will be televised by a combination of the ESPN channels, ABC, FOX and FS1. Kickoff times and specific television networks for each contest will be announced at later dates.
The Pac-12 Football Championship Game will be played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Friday, Dec. 1.

Cal returns five players honored on the 2022 All-Pac-12 team, including first-team ILB Jackson Sirmon and a pair of Freshmen All-Americans in CB Jeremiah Earby and RB Jaydn Ott. WR Jeremiah Hunter and S Craig Woodson are also returning All-Pac-12 players, while key sixth-year seniors coming back for a final season include OL Matthew Cindric, DL Darius Long Jr. and WR Monroe Young.

In addition, Cal has announced the first 21 members of its 2023 recruiting class, including 12 transfers who are already on campus as mid-year enrollees in TE Asher Alberding (North Texas), ILB Sergio Allen (Clemson), TE J.T. Byrne (Oregon State), RB Byron Cardwell (Oregon), WR Brian Hightower (Illinois), QB Sam Jackson V (TCU), DB Matthew Littlejohn (Citrus College), DB Kaylin Moore (Coiorado), OLB David Reese (Florida), RB Justin Williams-Thomas (Tennessee), DB Nohl Williams (UNLV) and P Lachlan Wilson (Tulsa).

Cal has also hired three new full-time coaches in Jake Spavital (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks), Mike Bloesch (offensive line/run game coordinator) and Tim Plough (tight ends).

Season tickets for the 2023 campaign go on sale January 24 but spots at California Memorial Stadium can be secured today with a $100 per seat deposit that will be applied towards the final season-ticket invoice. 

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

2023 CAL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Date – Opponent
Sept. 2 – at North Texas
Sept. 9 – Auburn
Sept. 16 – Idaho
Sept. 23 – at Washington*
Sept. 30 – Arizona State*
Oct. 7 – Oregon State*
Oct. 14 – at Utah*
Oct. 28 – USC*
Nov. 4 – at Oregon*
Nov. 11 – Washington State*
Nov. 18 – at Stanford*
Nov. 25 – at UCLA*
Dec. 1 – Pac-12 Football Championship Game+
Home Games In Bold At California Memorial Stadium; *Pac-12 Game; +At Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV; All Games On Saturdays Other Than The Pac-12 Football Championship Game On Friday; Kickoff Times And Broadcast Television Networks To Be Announced At Later Dates

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Discussion from...

2023 Cal Football Schedule Announced

6,391 Views | 25 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by Nasal Mucus Goldenbear
JB was a Chieftain
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10/28 College Gameday comes to Berkeley
Bobodeluxe
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lol
BearoutEast67
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I didn't realize that the SCal schools were still in the Pac12 for next season . The Auburn game would be a nice win. Hey, that means there's one last shot at the Rose Bowl! Hope springs eternal! Cal reaches the Rose Bowl - go Bears!
bearsandgiants
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I am so sick of seeing ucla at the end of the schedule. Good riddance, klepto-traitors!
kal kommie
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Pretty brutal.

That OSU-@Utah,-USC-@Oregon stretch is a 4-game losing streak waiting to happen. Closing the season with 3 road games out of 4 isn't fun either.
southseasbear
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kal kommie said:

Pretty brutal.

That OSU-@Utah,-USC-@Oregon stretch is a 4-game losing streak waiting to happen. Closing the season with 3 road games out of 4 isn't fun either.
The conference seemed to bend over backward to give the two departing schools favorable schedules while sticking us with a tough one based on the stretch of tough road games.
Fire Knowlton!
Fire Fox!
Put Wilcox in a hot seat!
okaydo
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JB was a Chieftain said:

10/28 College Gameday comes to Berkeley

7-0 Cal vs. 8-0 USC.

I'll be there with my Wilcox-anaissance shirt.
BearSD
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southseasbear said:

kal kommie said:

Pretty brutal.

That OSU-@Utah,-USC-@Oregon stretch is a 4-game losing streak waiting to happen. Closing the season with 3 road games out of 4 isn't fun either.
The conference seemed to bend over backward to give the two departing schools favorable schedules while sticking us with a tough one based on the stretch of tough road games.
I don't think this schedule is what the LA schools wanted. There were three possible schedules voted on by the Pac ADs, and reportedly the schedule that we see was the choice of 8 of the 12 ADs. I'd guess USC didn't vote for this one, because

-- Having a bye the last week is not desirable. They probably voted for a schedule that would have had them playing UCLA the last week while Cal got the off week.

-- USC's ending stretch of games (other than playing Cal, heh) includes the toughest teams on their schedule: Notre Dame, Utah, Washington, Oregon, UCLA. Each of those teams won at least 9 games last season. Their coaches would have preferred to spread those games out more within the schedule.

upsetof86
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Opening 5 we go 4-1
Next 4 we go 0-4
Last 3 we go 2-1
On paper 8 months out, a path to 6-6
Wilcoxian to win a few late in year after crashing in the middle, albeit those 4 teams are all top 20 teams.
WalterSobchak
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We play a lot of teams after they play Utah, and Utah after an extra day Bye. That one could get rough, good thing our Bye is after that.


@ UW coming off @ MSU looking to @ AZ
ASU coming off USC looking to CO
OSU gets 1 extra day coming off UT looking to Ucla
@ UT coming off Bye +1 extra day @ OSU looking to @ USC
Bye
USC coming off UT looking to UW
@ OR coming off @ UT looking to USC
WSU coming off Stanford looking to CO on short week
@ Stanford coming off @ OSU looking to ND
@ Ucla coming off @ USC


Ucla plays another joke of a schedule, skipping UW and OR. At least they have to go to UT this year. Hopefully Coastal can beat them to start things off and we can do it to send them off.

Give to Cal Legends! https://calegends.com/donation/ Do it now. Text every Cal fan you know, give them the link, tell them how much you gave, and ask them to text every Cal fan they know and do the same.
philly1121
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Well, here's my prediction:

Date Opponent
Sept. 2 at North Texas W (we should handle them)
Sept. 9 Auburn L (Auburn has 2nd highest rated transfer class in country)
Sept. 16 Idaho W (again, they should be no problem for us)
Sept. 23 at Washington* L (Penix is the man. Jaden Rashada may go to UW)
Sept. 30 Arizona State* L (Drew Pyne transfers in and their inbound transfers are ranked high)
Oct. 7 Oregon State* L (we always have problems with them plus DJ Uiagalelei is inbound)
Oct. 14 at Utah* L (too much talent)
Oct. 28 USC* L (even with their crap defense)
Nov. 4 at Oregon* L (Nix gets the nod here)
Nov. 11 Washington State* W (not sure why but I think we win)
Nov. 18 at Stanford* W (they have no talent)
Nov. 25 at UCLA* L (Dante Moore to end the rivalry up to that point)

4-8. Its early days but based on what we saw last season, the transfer moves that have been made for us and for other teams in the P12, I think this is a likely outcome.
okaydo
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Opening 5 we go 5-0
Next 4 we go 4-0
Last 4 we go 4-0



Sept. 2 at North Texas = W = This will be an easy game for Wilcox.
Sept. 9 Auburn = W = SEC teams always fail in the intimidating Memorial environment.
Sept. 16 Idaho = W = This game will be a challenge.
Sept. 23 at Washington* = W = This team will take a step down this season.
Sept. 30 Arizona State* = W = This coaching staff is a joke. Easy W.
Oct. 7 Oregon State* = W = This will be an easy one.
Oct. 14 at Utah* = W = They will be distracted by the In N Out they eat the night before.
Oct. 28 USC* = W = Lincoln Riley will be on the hot seat.
Nov. 4 at Oregon* = W = The Lanning-aissance hits the brick wall of the Wilcox-aissance.
Nov. 11 Washington State* = W = The Cougs will coug it.
Nov. 18 at Stanford* = W = Wilcox will win this one with one hand tied behind his back.
Nov. 25 at UCLA* = W = Chip will go through the wood chipper.
southseasbear
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philly1121 said:

Well, here's my prediction:

Date Opponent
Sept. 2 at North Texas W (we should handle them)
Sept. 9 Auburn L (Auburn has 2nd highest rated transfer class in country)
Sept. 16 Idaho W (again, they should be no problem for us)
Sept. 23 at Washington* L (Penix is the man. Jaden Rashada may go to UW)
Sept. 30 Arizona State* L (Drew Pyne transfers in and their inbound transfers are ranked high)
Oct. 7 Oregon State* L (we always have problems with them plus DJ Uiagalelei is inbound)
Oct. 14 at Utah* L (too much talent)
Oct. 28 USC* L (even with their crap defense)
Nov. 4 at Oregon* L (Nix gets the nod here)
Nov. 11 Washington State* W (not sure why but I think we win)
Nov. 18 at Stanford* W (they have no talent)
Nov. 25 at UCLA* L (Dante Moore to end the rivalry up to that point)

4-8. Its early days but based on what we saw last season, the transfer moves that have been made for us and for other teams in the P12, I think this is a likely outcome.
Only 2 wins at home? Brutal.
Fire Knowlton!
Fire Fox!
Put Wilcox in a hot seat!
bluehenbear
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@furd is resembles a home game
okaydo
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okaydo said:

Opening 5 we go 5-0
Next 4 we go 4-0
Last 4 we go 4-0



Sept. 2 at North Texas = W = This will be an easy game for Wilcox.
Sept. 9 Auburn = W = SEC teams always fail in the intimidating Memorial environment.
Sept. 16 Idaho = W = This game will be a challenge.
Sept. 23 at Washington* = W = This team will take a step down this season.
Sept. 30 Arizona State* = W = This coaching staff is a joke. Easy W.
Oct. 7 Oregon State* = W = This will be an easy one.
Oct. 14 at Utah* = W = They will be distracted by the In N Out they eat the night before.
Oct. 28 USC* = W = Lincoln Riley will be on the hot seat.
Nov. 4 at Oregon* = W = The Lanning-aissance hits the brick wall of the Wilcox-aissance.
Nov. 11 Washington State* = W = The Cougs will coug it.
Nov. 18 at Stanford* = W = Wilcox will win this one with one hand tied behind his back.
Nov. 25 at UCLA* = W = Chip will go through the wood chipper.

Fun/dumb fact:

Of the 14 teams currently in the SEC, only 2 have won at Memorial Stadium: Missouri and Texas A&M.

Cal was victorious in the other 2 games vs. current SEC teams at Memorial Stadium.
Jeff82
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Predicting 4-8 again basically means you think the coaching changes that were made were pointless. I can't buy that. This is the last hurrah for Wilcox.
calumnus
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Jeff82 said:

Predicting 4-8 again basically means you think the coaching changes that were made were pointless. I can't buy that. This is the last hurrah for Wilcox.


We will be improved, but the rest of the PAC-12 will be improved and our schedule looks tougher. I am hoping for greater upside. I am feeling like we are going to beat Auburn.
72CalBear
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Our last chance to kick SC @ss at home and to even play in the Rose Bowl.
okaydo
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wifeisafurd
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Agree with Garrett that the football landscape is now more complicated than the NFL, and the Furd is not designed to prosper in this landscape.

That said, Cal has a really tough scheduling stretch with OSU, Utah at their house where they seem unbeatable, USC, and Oregon, probably the 4 best teams in the conference (maybe Washington is somewhere in there). Survive that it is a good season.
Bobodeluxe
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Wilner is definitely on the bandwagon!

10. Cal: The Bears peaked in 2019, lost all momentum when the pandemic struck and have plunged into a rut: solid on defense, wayward on offense and seemingly destined to win or lose by a score of 24-17. Next season will bring a system change under new playcaller Jake Spavital, an Air Raid practitioner. But the talent is lacking up front, and the loss of receiver J.Michael Sturdivant (to UCLA) cuts deep. We expect more of the same, with Cal losing ground relative to its competition.
Golden One
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Bobodeluxe said:

Wilner is definitely on the bandwagon!

Cal losing ground relative to its competition.
That's been our fate for 6 years under Wilcox.
WalterSobchak
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LOL, he could've said exactly the same thing about UW a year ago before they hired DeBoer and look how that worked out. Sturdivant was a very nice piece for Cal and clearly Ucla's best portal acquisition so far this cycle. Would've been great if he were a man of his word but he's not so on to the next. But he wasn't irreplaceable and Cal has had a much better overall portal class than Ucla so far.

Lost in all the angst about losing Sturdivant is the fact that Hunter is flat-out better. The top 5 producing WR in the Pac last year were Odunze and McMillan at UW; Singer and Cowing at UofA; and Hunter at Cal. Not necessarily in that order. Sturdivant didn't come close to that group. Odunze and McMillan were HS recruits to UW and are both coming back for 2023. Singer was a HS recruit to UofA and got poached by USC. Cowing was a transfer from UTEP and is coming back for UofA. Hunter was a HS recruit to Cal and unless something crazy happens in the Spring is coming back to Cal.

The thing is the UW and AZ guys played in wide open spread systems and Hunter did what he did for Cal playing in Musgrave's antiquated system most of the year. Not only that, he played in only 11 games, one fewer than everyone else around him except McMillan, who played in 13, making his stats even more impressive. The simple fact is Hunter outperformed Sturdivant in every statistical category except total receptions and total touchdowns playing one less game. The sky is truly the limit for Hunter in Spav's system and he must be ecstatic. Ditto for the other guys. Under Spav in 2016 not only did Webb lead the Pac in passing but FCS transfer Hansen led the Pac in receiving and true frosh DRob was also in the top 10. Most of Hansen's 2016 numbers would've led the Pac again this season by a wide margin, and incredibly he did what he did in only 10 games! No disrespect to Hansen, but IMO Hunter is a superior athlete. In addition to adding Bloesch we also retained Plough, who is also a former OC and was the de facto OC as consultant when we opened things up the last 2 games.

Meanwhile Ucla is desperate for quality receivers because their production at the position has been terrible and they lose their top 2 guys. Cal had 2 WR arguably in the top 10 of the Pac (although Sturdivant drops WAY down in terms of YPC; Hunter does not) but Ucla had arguably 1 (Bobo) in the top 10 AND top 30. Hunter and Sturdivant both outperformed Bobo even in Musgrave's system, so it's anybody's guess what lies in store for him down in LA. Will he continue to get better or will he stagnate? Sturdivant and and Bobo were very close in production, but Hunter had far better numbers than Bobo even playing in two fewer games and than Sturdivant in one fewer. Ford and Allen are so far down the list they're hard to find. Hunter statistically outplayed half of the Pac's first and second team WR, including the guy who's universally projected as a top 5 WR pick in April. Bobo is projected as a UDFA and Ucla does not put WR into the NFL. Hopefully Sturdivant got paid because his prospects for individual success are not as good in their offense as ours, at least based on their past results. Cal will be fine as long as we hang on to Hunter. Whether Sturdivant will improve at Ucla is a huge question mark. It will be very interesting to see who has the better year between Sturdivant and Hightower.

Hansen (2016) (#1 rec (92 in 10!), #1 ypg (124.9), #7 ypc (13.6))

Odunze (#3 rec (75 in 12), #1 ypg (95.4), #7 ypc)
Singer (#6 rec (66 in 12), #2 ypg, #3 ypc)
Hunter (#9 rec (60 in 11), #3 ypg, #4 ypc)
Cowing (#1 rec (84 in 12), #4 ypg, #11 ypc)
McMillan (#2 rec (79 in 13), #5 ypg, #1 ypc (18.0))

Sturdivant (#7 rec (65 in 12), #10 ypg, #21 ypc)
Bobo (#12 rec (57 in 13!), #11 ypg, #10 ypc)
Allen (#18 rec (49 in 11), #31 ypg, #31 ypc)
Ford (NL rec (20 in 12), #41 ypg, NL ypc)

https://stats.pac-12.com/sports/fball/2022-23/players?sort=wyg&view=&pos=wr&r=0
https://static.pac-12.com/sports/football/stats/2016-17/HTML/confldrs.htm#conf.wi2

Ucla will probably have a better record than Cal this year but it won't be based on Sturdivant or Oladejo. It will be mostly based on schedule. I'll be shocked if Spav isn't at least a moderate upgrade over Musgrave, and not at all surprised if he's a massive upgrade.
Give to Cal Legends! https://calegends.com/donation/ Do it now. Text every Cal fan you know, give them the link, tell them how much you gave, and ask them to text every Cal fan they know and do the same.
chunkybear
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okaydo said:

JB was a Chieftain said:

10/28 College Gameday comes to Berkeley

7-0 Cal vs. 8-0 USC.

I'll be there with my Wilcox-anaissance shirt.



I'll be there with my Wilcox and balls shirt
Nasal Mucus Goldenbear
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upsetof86 said:

Opening 5 we go 4-1
Next 4 we go 0-4
Last 3 we go 2-1
Barring multiple major OL acquisitions:

3-2
0-4
2-1

Bears improve to 3-6 in conference.
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