California Football has announced its schedule for the 2026 regular season, which includes a season-opening matchup against UCLA and wraps up with a home game against Pittsburgh.
2026 marks the first year the ACC will implement a nine-game conference model for its members. Cal is one of 12 ACC teams to face nine conference opponents in 2026 as a part of the new scheduling parameters.
In addition to its nine ACC opponents, the Golden Bears will face a three-game nonconference slate that includes UCLA, Wagner and UNLV. Cal will host the Bruins and Seahawks before traveling to Las Vegas in October to face the Rebels.
In between its three nonconference matchups, Cal will face off against two ACC opponents, one on the road and one at home. In its first ACC game of the season, the Bears will travel to upstate New York to face Syracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome. Then, after facing Wagner, Cal will host the Clemson Tigers at California Memorial Stadium on Sept. 25.
After its game in Las Vegas the first week of October, the Bears will return home for two weeks in a row. First, the Bears will welcome James Franklin and the Virginia Tech Hokies before Wake Forest visits Berkeley on Oct.17.
Following a two-game stint at home, Cal will travel to Dallas to face SMU and to Raleigh, North Carolina, the following week to face the NC State Wolfpack on Halloween. Both games have the potential to be flexed to Friday night.
The Bears will then have a bye week before their last ACC road trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, to face the Virginia Cavaliers on Nov.14.
Upon returning from Charlottesville, the Bears will begin to prepare for the 129th Big Game at California Memorial Stadium against Stanford on Nov. 21. The Bears will then wrap up the regular season against Pittsburgh at home on Nov. 28.
All kickoff times will be announced at a later date.
2026 Cal Football Schedule
Sept 5: UCLA
Sept 12: at Syracuse
Sept 19: Wagner
Sept 25: Clemson
Oct 3: at UNLV
Oct 10: Virginia Tech
Oct 17: Wake Forest
Oct 24: at SMU (Friday flex potential)
Oct 31: at NC State (Friday flex potential)
Nov 7: Bye
Nov 14: at Virginia
Nov 21: Stanford
Nov 28: Pittsburgh
Below is a brief breakdown of the Bears' 2026 opponents:
UCLA
The Bears will face the Bruins for the first time since 2023 and for the first time as opponents in separate conferences. 2026 will be the 95th meeting between the two programs with Cal winning the last meeting 33-7.
Syracuse
2026 will be the fourth matchup between the two programs and first since 2024. Cal will look to win its first game over the Orange since 1968 and first-ever win over Syracuse on the road.
Wagner
The Seahawks will travel cross-country for the first-ever matchup against Cal.
Clemson
The Golden Bears will face Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers for the first time since the 1992 Citrus Bowl, which the Bears won 37-13. 2026 will mark the first time these two teams will face off in the regular season first appearance at California Memorial Stadium.
UNLV
2026 will be the third matchup between the Bears and Rebels and the first time the teams will meet in Las Vegas. The first matchup, in 2022, saw the Bears win in Berkeley and the most recent matchup was the 2024 LA Bowl that saw the Rebels win.
Virginia Tech
The Hokies and new head coach James Franklin are set to travel to Strawberry Canyon for the first time in 2026. The first two matchups in the series history were in the high-scoring 2003 Insight Bowl and this past season's matchup in Blacksburg.
Wake Forest
The Demon Deacons will travel to California Memorial Stadium for the first time in 2026. In the first-ever matchup in 2024, the Bears won 46-36 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Wake Forest finished the 2025 regular season with an 8-4 record.
SMU
The Mustangs and Bears will meet for the fourth time this upcoming season and Cal will look to win its first-ever game in Dallas. In 2025, Cal picked up its first series win over SMU after it upset the No. 21 Mustangs 38-35 in Berkeley.
NC State
The Bears will look to win its first-ever game against the Wolfpack in 2026. This will also be the first time the two programs face one another in Raleigh. The Wolfpack won the series’ first matchup in 2024 in Berkeley.
Virginia
Cal will look to even the series in 2026 with its first-ever trip to Charlottesville. Last season, the Cavaliers won the first-ever matchup between the schools in Berkeley.
Stanford
In the 129th edition of the Big Game, the Bears will host rival Stanford in one of the oldest rivalries on the West Coast. Cal has won the previous two Big Games at California Memorial Stadium.
Pittsburgh
Cal will face the Panthers for the seventh time in program history. 2026 will feature the first meeting in Berkeley since 1966, when the Bears won 30-15. The Panthers finished the 2025 regular season with an 8-4 record.
