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Weekly Writer Predictions: Cal vs. Syracuse Orange Football 2026

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 10:03:25 GMT

Welcome to our weekly predictions post from our writers. You’ll see what they expect the score to be and any wacky or rational predictions they expect to see in each game!

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Christopher_h

Scoreline: Cal loses 20-33

Cal is not allowed to have nice things. I would love to be wrong, but a lot of the issues I saw last Saturday did not appear to be easily fixable, and pointed towards deeper systematic issues. I don't usually reach this level of pessimism until midseason.

Rob Hwang

Scoreline: Cal wins 35-33

We have to hope our execution improves and that Steve Angeli still isn’t a 100% coming off that injury from last season.

Ben Rossi

Scoreline: Cal wins 35-31

Another fairly high scoring affair but Cal will manage better ball security when it matters most, getting their first win in the Tosh Lupoi era.

Berkelium97

Scoreline: Cal wins 28-27

There's still too much variance to have any reasonable expectation of what this team is going to do each week.

Ben

Scoreline: Cal wins 23-20

Cal shows life, and grinds one out against all odds.

Nick Kranz

Scoreline: Cal wins 30-29

First, I want to make something clear: I have maybe 5% confidence in this prediction. Syracuse hasn't played a relevant game of football in more than a year thanks to QB injuries, and we learned nearly nothing from the New Hampshire game. I ultimately think that Cal will do better against a team that has typically been more effective passing the ball vs. running it, but who the hell knows?

Yoav Shames

Scoreline: Cal wins 28-24

We leave this game with a win but perhaps not the redemptive clarity that is desired. The defense shows more signs of life and better discipline, but we rely on a few too many lucky breaks on 3rd and Long from our quarterback.

Ruey Yen

Scoreline: Cal wins 28-24

Cal's stadium operations team was actually playing 5D chess by encouraging noise during offense!?!? Bears is fine with the road noise at Syracuse in week 2.

DBD 2026-09-11: Syracuse

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:01:06 GMT

Welcome to the DBD, a Write for California community board where one can talk about anything – Cal-related or off-topic. Comment threads are sorted by topic. Anything is fine, so long as you're generally civil

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Bear Insider Podcast - The Latest in the Lair: Actor and Cal Grad Ed Quinn, Part II

Bear Insider — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 06:38:52 GMT

The Good, the Bad, and the Rock Fights: Cal vs. UCLA Football

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 16:01:44 GMT

Like a Phoenix rising from Arizona, we are so back. | Photo by Rocio Robles on Unsplash

Welcome back to the new and improved The Good, the Bad, and the Rockfights, our weekly attempt to fit the previous game into a tidy little statistical box. In our previous edition, we were in a bit of an existential crisis because our previous data source had become untenably expensive. Well, we found a new source: introducing, BCF Toys! I’ve been a fan of the site and data guru Brian Fremeau’s work for many, many years (I’ve been following his weekly score projections, with a particular focus on Cal, for as long as I can remember). While our previous PFF data used player-level grades aggregated to the team level to cover performance of specific position groups (run blocking, receiving, pass coverage, etc.), BCF Toys’ data focuses primarily on possessions and the outcomes of those possessions. Here’s how Brian described the origin story for his brand of analysis:

I’m frequently asked questions about the origins of my work with college football data analysis. After witnessing a 2002 victory by Boston College over Notre Dame, a game in which the Eagles failed to advance a single offensive drive across midfield and the Irish had six drives fail inside the BC 25-yard line, I had questions that traditional box scores were unable to sufficiently answer. I began collecting possession data soon thereafter; to define the fluid value of field position, quantify the impact of turnovers and special teams, evaluate offensive and defensive team strengths, and develop new measures of team and unit success. The Fremeau Efficiency Index (FEI) ratings and other possession statistics found on this site are the results of those initial inquiries, and many more since.

His Whiteboard page provides a ton of information and context about his analytic approach (if you’re interested in this stuff—which you might well be because you’re reading this piece—and you have 10-15 minutes to spare, I encourage you to read through the whole thing. But only after you finish reading this piece.). If you don’t have 10-15 minutes, then here’s a very quick explainer:

I’m really only interested in capturing a few key data points with every possession in every FBS game: who had the ball, where on the field did the possession begin, how many scrimmage plays were run on the possession, where did it end, how did it end, and what was the score when it ended. I also record whether the possession took place in the first half, second half, or in overtime.

BCF Toys’ data thus has a very simple focus: how can we quantify aspects of a possession over the course of a game? Moving from PFF’s data to BCF Toys’ data, we’re largely pivoting from player-driven measures aggregated to the team level to measures that strictly capture team-level drive performance. And as you’ll see, there’s some surprising overlap in what comes out of our analysis compared to our previous data.

A Glossary of BCF Toys’ Game Ratings

We have a new data source, so we have several new measures to learn. Fortunately there is conceptual overlap across several of them and they’re fairly straightforward, even if the names can be a bit long.

Offensive and Defensive Ratings

These six measures are captured for offense and defense for each game (note: all measures exclude garbage time possessions, and the bottom of this page explains how garbage time is measured).

Game rating: game-level FEI data capturing scoring value per possession (adjusted for opponent quality)
Possession efficiency: unadjusted scoring value per possession
Points per drive: points scored per drive
Available yards percentage: total yards accumulated (from the beginning of the possession to where the possession ends) divided by the distance to the end zone from the starting position. For example, if a team gets the ball at the 50 and drives to the 35 before stalling out, that would be a 30% rating for the offense and a 70% rating for the defense on that possession.
Yards per play: rather self-explanatory
Drive success rate: percentage of drives that end with a score (TD or FG)

In sum, these ratings capture a mix of yards-based productivity, efficiency in moving the ball, and achieving the ultimate goal: points. I had to calibrate the ratings so that higher scores are better across all categories. A defense that yields more yards per play and points per drive is actually worse, and BCF’s raw data reflects that (so lower scores are better for most defensive ratings). But when we’re looking across offense, defense, and special teams, it’s easier to have consistency when interpreting what higher vs. lower numbers mean for the ratings.

Speaking of special teams, that’s a new addition that we did not have with our previous data. Now we have five special teams ratings:

Game rating: scoring value generated per field goal, punt, kickoff, and PAT (adjusted for opponent quality)
Possession efficiency: unadjusted scoring value per field goal, punt, kickoff, and PAT
Field goal rating: value added per field goal attempt
Punt rating: value added per punt attempt
Kickoff rating: value added per kickoff

With that, we have 17 team-level ratings for each game. And our goal is to make sense of what those ratings tell us about the team’s overall performance. To derive some insight from those ratings, we use the same approach we’ve been using throughout this series: a machine-learning clustering algorithm (a k-means clustering algorithm, which you can read more about here).

With that long re-introduction to the series out of the way, we can dive into data from the UCLA game.

Ratings Comparison

It’s a Good-Bad-Rockfights post, so you know there will be boxplots. With 17 distinct ratings categories, a single plot would be too crowded, so I am now breaking them up into plots for offense, defense, and special teams.

Offense

Recall that boxplots capture the distribution of the data, where the box represents data between the 25th and 75th percentiles, and the horizontal line represents the median or midpoint of the data.

Gold dots represent ratings from the UCLA game while the boxplots capture all previous ratings (2007-2025). The offensive categories are Game Rating, Efficiency, Points per Drive, Available Yards, Yards per Play, and Success Rate

These are a bunch of new stats for this series, so let’s walk through them. Overall, they’re quite middling. The worst was Game Rating (OffGR), which captures an opponent-adjusted efficiency rating. The offense’s unadjusted efficiency (OffEff) was slightly worse than usual (i.e. just below the horizontal line). Compared to the Game Rating, this suggests that this UCLA team is a bit worse than Cal’s usual opponent (defensively, at least). Not great. Points per Drive (OffPPD) was slightly better than usual, while available yards (OffAYd) and yards per play (OffYPP) were exactly middling. This suggests that Cal could score the ball a little better than usual, but their ability to get the necessary yards to score the ball and the per-play efficiency were typical. Finally, success rate (OffSR), or the rate of ending a possession with a score, was slightly worse than usual.

Defense

Defense: Game Rating, Efficiency, Points per Drive, Available Yards, Yards per Play, Success Rate

The ratings indicate this is a bottom-25 percentile performance for Cal’s defense. The only rating that is not terrible is success rate, which indicates that Cal did a not-awful job of stopping UCLA from scoring (this is because UCLA had several short possessions ending in punts and one ending in an interception). When UCLA did move the ball, they were both efficient and productive. If you’re wondering why points per drive (DefPPD) was around the 25th percentile while success rate (DefSR) fared better (success rate, or the rate of drives ending in a score, is closely related to points per drive), it’s because Cal allowed UCLA to score 6 TDs on their 7 total scoring drives. Had Cal held them to several more field goals, that success rate would have been the same while the points per drive would have fared better. As we grow accustomed to the new data source, it will be easier to tease apart those little nuances reflecting how the ratings of the game demonstrate variations across productivity, efficiency, and scoring.

Special Teams

Overall, every category in special teams was slightly worse than usual. Except kickoffs, where Cal allowed 28 yards per attempt while the Bears failed to cross the 25 each time. As Nick constantly reminds us, just fair catch the ball.

Clustering

Now we feed our new data set into the clustering algorithm to see how it organizes the games. The clustering algorithm groups together games with similar sets of ratings and separates those with strong contrasts between their ratings. After tinkering with the algorithm a bit, I determined that four clusters was the best fit to our existing data (remember from our previous iterations of this series that the number of clusters can evolve over time, so we may see 3 or 5 clusters at some point in the future). So what kind of clusters did the algorithm return?

(Click here for a much larger version) Each point represents a game and data points closer together received more similar ratings while games farther apart received more dissimilar ratings. The clustering algorithm ultimately returned a familiar quartet of clusters.

Good! Bad! Rockfights! Pillowfights! It’s a return to a familiar set of clusters we saw from 2023 through midway last season (the UCLA game fell into The Bad, but let’s not dwell on that). What kinds of ratings do we see in each of these clusters?

Average BCF game ratings in each cluster

Good tends to earn strong scores across the board, while bad is awful in every direction. Rockfights feature great defense and woeful offense, while Pillowfights tend to turn into high-scoring shootouts. Although we have a new dataset, we have the same set of performance profiles we had seen throughout most of the Wilcox Era. I think that speaks well to the reliability of both PFF and BCF Toys’ data. We may have an entirely new set of data capturing drive-level measures, but we’re still largely capturing the same performance profiles across games.

The next plot shows how frequently each type of game occurred over time from 2007 through 2025.

Counts of each cluster for each season, 2007-2025

We see a mix of performance types in the later Tedford years, followed by a death spiral into The Bad in 2012-13, an explosion of Pillowfights during most of the Sonny Dykes years, and the rise and fall of Wilcox’s Rockfight teams. Then from 2021 onward the team had a mix of outcomes and was not clearly defined by any one type of performance.

The last two coaching changes brought a team with a clear identity, as evidenced by huge numbers of Pillowfights 2014-16 then Rockfights galore in 2018-19. Will the Lupoi Era follow a similar pattern? Or will it invent an entirely new category of games? When we originally began this series, the data were best defined by three clusters, but that grew to this same set of four in 2023, then expanded to 5 as the team found new and unusual performance profiles (and then expanded to 6 when I went back and added the Dykes-era data). I’ll periodically check to make whether four is the correct number of clusters or if we need to expand. But with 19 seasons of data baked in, it may be hard for a new cluster to emerge. In any case, we will find out as this 2026 season unfolds. Welcome back and Go Bears!

Cal Football 2026: UCLA

The California Golden Bearcast — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMT

00:00 Introduction and overview

02:13 Rob's reflections on the UCLA game and team questions

07:53 Andy's perspective on the game and season outlook

13:12 Defensive play calling and execution analysis

19:01Offensive strategy, play calling, and player performances

26:00 Coaching experience, staff development, and game adjustments

31:47 Player highlights and key performances

41:55 Atmosphere, crowd, and stadium experience

48:08 Seating stories, recruiting, and community engagement

51:56 Preview of Syracuse game and concerns

54:02 Closing remarks and upcoming plans

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DBD 2026-09-10: Morrison Library

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 10:05:53 GMT

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Syracuse Football Offensive Preview

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 10:01:57 GMT

Cal makes the return trip to Syracuse after the Bears lost to a ranked Syracuse in Berkeley in 2024, when the #21 ranked Orange flustered QB Fernando Mendoza en route to a comfortable 33-25 win. Unfortunately for Cal, Syracuse is looking more like the formidable 2024 squad than the 2025 one that ended last year with 8 straight losses.

This has to be the worst announcer jinx I’ve ever seen. Fran Brown never loses twice in a row, eh?

Syracuse started the 2025 season off strong with a 3-1 record behind Notre Dame transfer QB Steve Angeli, but went the rest of the year 0-8 without him, as they pivoted to a run-heavy offense without their Kyle McCord-like passer.

An aerial shot from one of the games; Syracuse’s Crouse College in the center. I can’t tell you how disappointed I was to learn that their buildings aren’t even that orange.

I don’t really have all that much to say about Syracuse, with whom we share very little college football history. So instead, here are some Syracuse fans from their very colorful stadium.

You’ve got the good:

Syracuse fan toasts the cameraman.

The bad:

I don’t think they agree with the call on the field.

And the ~~ugly~~ colorful:

An enviable amount of head apparatus, and also who I picture as the authors of whatever the Syracuse equivalent of WFC’s “Golden Nuggets” is. Orange Nuggets?

Syracuse opened the season with a thorough dismantling of an overmatched FCS opponent, New Hampshire. Syracuse scored in nearly every phase of the game: on offense through the air and on the ground; on defense with a safety and a scoop-and-score (and added an interception); and on special teams with a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, and so on. Unfortunately, it’s hard to really gauge where this Syracuse team is against such an FCS opponent, and Cal looks to be their first real test to see if this team can recapture their 2024 magic.

Let’s get into it.

Quarterback

Steve Angeli returns this season after last year’s season was cut short by injury. Angeli, originally a Notre Dame transfer, helped lead Syracuse to a promising 3-1 start with a win over Clemson. However, after a season-ending Achilles injury late in the Clemson game, Syracuse went winless the rest of the season (0-8) as they struggled to replace his production on offense.

Angeli is primarily a traditional pocket passer, although he did show some mobility buying time in the pocket and the occasional scramble. After watching 24 games of UCLA and Wagner football, I was so shocked to again see competent quarterback play, and nearly took a highlight clip the very first time I saw Angeli make a quick and correct read on offense. He’s got decent arm strength, plus accuracy, and a strong command of the offense.

Here Angeli makes a nice read and makes a nice throw on time and on target:

QB Steve Angeli finds WR Johntay Cook behind the secondary for a 59 yard completion

In contrast to some quarterbacks who hesitate an extra beat before throwing, Angeli is decisive, and even uses his pump fake to set up the defense:

QB Steve Angeli gets the DB to bite on the pump fake as he hits WR Darrell Gill Jr for the 35 yard TD

Here Angeli fires a rope:

QB Steve Angeli hits WR Justus Ross-Simmons in stride for the 53 yard TD

And another plus-accuracy throw:

QB Steve Angeli hits WR Darrell Gill Jr in stride for 43 yards

Angeli is able to place the ball where only his receiver can get it:

QB Steve Angeli lofts it up to WR Darrell Gill Jr for the 43 yard TD

And again:

QB Steve Angeli makes a nice back shoulder throw to WR Darrell Gill Jr for 19 yards

Angeli generally handles pressure well and will keep his eyes downfield as he looks to make a play. Here Angeli is pressured, but he sits in the pocket and still makes a nice throw into a tight window to his receiver:

QB Steve Angeli makes a nice throw under pressure into a small window for TE Dan Villari for 20 yards

Here’s another example of Angeli fitting his throw into a tight window:

Write For California’s Cal Football Away Game Watch Party 2026

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 19:12:10 GMT

There is no Cal football game at home this week, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go home and watch Cal football! Many of your Write for California regulars will be watching the Bears right in Berkeley. Doors open at 11AM!

Write For California Watch parties will take place at Headlands on Campus, located where the previous site of the newest version of the Bears Lair was under Eshleman Hall. You might be familiar with Headlands Brewing from their locations in West Berkeley, Lafayette and Walnut Creek.

They’ve opened a brand new branch on campus to hopefully reinvigorate the magic of the old Lair, and Write for California should have a presence there for all the road games this year, so come on by, say hi, and have a great time watching the Bears!

Cal takes on the Syracuse Orange at 12:30PM PT on Saturday, September 12th. If you are close by, come swing by and watch the Golden Bears in action!

Around the Conference Table: ACC College Football 2026 - Week 0 & 1

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 19:07:02 GMT

Welcome back to Season 3 of Cal in the ACC. Let’s take a look at what our neighbors on the East Coast are doing.

UNC - TCU (UNC wins 15-10)

Nick Kranz - How many teams will UNC be able to drag into a hideous slog? And how hilarious is it that one of those slogs was somehow against Sonny Dykes, who appears to have finally found a QB that he cannot immediately make serviceable.

Ben - A great game where no matter who loses, we all win.

Christopher Helling - This game was a defensive struggle, but honestly, neither team looked very good. UNC looks to have a solid defensive line, but this was TCU’s game to win and they found a way to choke it away.

NC State - Virginia (Virginia wins 34-8)

Ben - Bet Virginia is glad this game wasn’t in Brazil in front of 17 fans.

Christopher Helling - NCSU is a victim to the transfer portal, and had most of their talent from last year picked away by bigger programs. They retained QB CJ Bailey and not much else. This was complete domination on UVA’s part, particularly by their extremely experienced O-line (all 5- to 7-year players), as UVA was able to run the ball down NCSU’s throat (QB Beau Pribula had over 100 yards rushing) with something like 5 yards/carry. NCSU’s offense looked bad, with no playmakers and QB CJ Bailey not doing much on his own either. The NCSU run game went nowhere, WRs were covered and Bailey had no one to throw to, and his scrambles were to little effect.

Hawai’i - Stanford (Stanford wins 37-27)

Nick Kranz - It is telling of my expectations that I was mildly impressed that Stanford barely beat a team that is clearly rebuilding after heavy portal losses and just got shut down by UNLV.

Ben - Boooooooo.

Christopher Helling - Hawaii QB Micah Alejado did not look good all game, 13/24 in the first half for 78 pass yards. Hawaii receivers struggled to get separation, and they lost last year’s top receivers to the transfer portal in Jackson Harris (LSU) and Brandon White (Kansas St), and Pofele Ashlock is out with an ACL injury. Eventually it looked like Stanford’s secondary started getting tired with man coverage in the 4th quarter, and Hawaii scored 3 straight TDs in the 4th quarter to take the lead 27-23 Hawaii. Hawaii’s first 9 drives were 37 plays for 82 yards and 1 TD, those next 3 drives were 30 plays for 233 yards and 3 TDs. Hawaii had no run game, perhaps related to RB Cam Barfield being injured very early in the game, but there was no “run” in the “run and shoot” offense with 22 rushes for 46 yards. Stanford’s linebackers looked good for the majority of the game, with a few costly mistakes that resulted in those Hawaii TDs (e.g. LB Matt Rose missed tackle on the RB checkdown led to a 29-yard TD). But overall, Stanford’s front-7 looked good, generating pressure, linebackers making tackles, and the secondary covering well for most of the game, although their depth may be a bit thin. Hawaii, on the other hand, looked like a worse team than last year.

New Mexico State - Florida State (FSU wins 34-17)

Ben - Bummer.

Christopher Helling - FSU dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, able to run the ball at-will (217 rush yards on 39 carries, 5.6 yards/carry) while NMSU couldn’t get anywhere running the ball (47 yards on 23 carries, 2.0 yards/carry). FSU has some really good skill position players at WR/RB, but their defensive performance was concerning. Terrible schematically, a lot more defensive pressure by NMSU pass rushers than expected, busted coverages, giving up a TD on a cover-0 blitz, leaving gigantic cushions for NMSU receivers on 3rd and 4th downs (NMSU was 10/17 on 3rd down and could have done better if not for some drops, despite averaging 3rd and very long each time). NMSU was competitive the whole game and missed some of their own opportunities (dropped a wide-open TD pass on a trick play, had some QB/WR miscommunications on potential big plays, etc) yet hung within 1-2 possessions of FSU, which should raise some alarm bells. FSU has a murderer’s row schedule coming up and will be lucky to get more than 1 win in their non-FCS games.

Akron - Wake Forest (Wake Forest wins 38-16)

Christopher Helling - Wake Forest controlled this game the whole way, and was up 38-3 in the 4th quarter when they put their backups in (then allowing 2 garbage time TDs with a missed PAT). Akron didn’t have much offense other than the QB keeper from QB Cibastian Broughton, and only really attempted safe screen passes for the redshirt freshman. The Akron defense was also bad, with the secondary giving up multiple 70+ yard plays and the defense line unable to slow the run. This was more of an Akron bad game than Wake Forest good, although perhaps a good confidence boosting game for QB Gio Lopez to throw for 350 yards after playing for atrocious UNC offenses where his biggest game was 216 passing yards (he had 313 passing yards in the first half alone). His accuracy was still a bit concerning given the clean pockets he had all day.

Colorado - Georgia Tech (Georgia Tech loses 13-14)

Nick Kranz - Consider the life of Alberto Mendoza - to be the understudy to the hero at Indiana (who just so happens to be your brother) only to transfer away to become the replacement for Georgia Tech’s irreplaceable, departing hero. Get that man a good therapist.

Ben - An absolute thriller, and I only had to watch 1 minute.

Christopher Helling - This was an incredibly sloppy game on both sides, and fittingly ended on the blocked FG. I don’t think a Mendoza brother is going to be able to fill the void left by Haynes King.

Miami - Stanford (Stanford loses 6-45)

Nick Kranz - Do you suppose if you’re Stanford’s coaching staff, that it’s fun to gameplan for Miami so that you can choose your path of defeat? Mario Cristobal, like Gozer, asked Stanford to choose the form of the destructor, and Stanford just couldn’t help but have Malachi Toney pop into their heads.

Ben - Disappointed the meteor didn’t hit that would take out the stadium but save all the Cal fans.

Christopher Helling - Miami absolutely dominated Stanford top to bottom, and looked like a playoff-caliber team. WR Malachi Toney set a Miami single-game receiving record with 234 receiving yards. Toney was uncoverable, and Stanford kept changing secondary coverages, and Toney embarrassed them all, getting wide open with his route running. QB Darian Mensah barely broke a sweat, great protection, throwing to wide open receivers or short completions, going something like 27/30 with 401 passing yards and 5 TDs, career highs for Mensah. Stanford’s strategy was apparently to stop the run and dare Miami to beat them through the air, and well... they did. Badly.

Clemson - LSU (Clemson loses 10-51)

Nick Kranz - Stanford, Oklahoma State, now Clemson . . . it has been fascinating watching schools that cannot or will not adapt to modern college football slowly (then very quickly) fall into disrepair.

Ben - Excuse me.

Christopher Helling - I was not prepared for how thoroughly LSU was about to dismantle Clemson. The game opened with an interception that led to a FG for Clemson for a 3-0 lead, and... that was about it (until a garbage time TD brought the score from 51-3 LSU to 51-10 LSU with a few minutes left in the game). Clemson tried both quarterbacks, Christopher Vizzina and freshman Tait Reynolds, but neither of them could get much going with the run game going absolutely nowhere (Clemson had -4 rushing yards in the first half and 1 first down, while LSU had 213 rushing yards and 21 first downs in the first half alone). The LSU defensive line dominated and embarrassed Clemson’s offensive line, getting quick pressure even rushing 3 and dropping 8, so these QBs were doomed from the start. LSU had a beat on Clemson multiple times, running really clever offensive plays that resulted in busted coverages for LSU TDs. Even worse, Clemson played with very little effort, with defensive players making “business decisions” against the 6’0” 207 lbs. rushing of QB Sam Leavitt. LSU is likely a playoff team, and Clemson is almost assuredly in for another rough year.

New Hampshire - Syracuse (Syracuse wins 66-3)

Ben - Excuse me?

Christopher Helling - Standard outmatched FCS opponent buy game; Syracuse dominated all facets. QB Steve Angeli mainly picked apart the UNH defense with short throws and spreading the ball out, but the biggest surprise was true freshman RB Shavante Anderson Jr with a big game and some nice runs. UNH clearly has tackling issues, and a lot of Syracuse plays went for a lot more yards than they should have, while the UNH offensive line couldn’t stop the Syracuse pass rush. One red flag was how many holding penalties Syracuse had against an outmatched opponent, racking up 12 penalties for 125 yards.

Miami (OH) - Pitt (Pitt wins 59-14)

Ben - Pitt end of year is going to be a sneaky good game on rivalry week.

Christopher Helling - This was nearly a one-TD game at halftime before some mental mistakes by Miami turned it into 17 points at half, and a demoralized Miami team fell apart in the second half. QB Mason Heintschel had 7 passing TDs to 7 different receivers. Miami (OH) tried the Stanford strategy and dared Pitt to beat them through the air and they did; QB Mason Heintschel picked them apart finding open receivers everywhere, but he also had a great game with some really nice throws. This game probably should have been closer but Pitt played very well in their opener.

Boston College - Cincinnati (Boston College loses 15-34)

Christopher Helling - BC looked somewhat decent in the first half, but the Cincinnati run game eventually wore them down. I feel like BC is a team that is decently coached but lacks the talent to compete.

Tulane - Duke (Duke wins 17-3)

Nick Kranz - An early sign that Manny Diaz just might find ways to win games this season even though his offensive roster was gutted in the transfer portal.

Christopher Helling - Duke QB Walker Eget was not particularly good throwing the ball, missing open downfield receivers and some bad throws on shorter throws into the endzone which should have been TDs. RB Nate Sheppard was pretty much unstoppable running the ball, running for 139 yards on 19 carries (plus 3 receptions for 19 yards) in the first half, when QB Walker Eget had 88 passing yards. Tulane was clearly a run-heavy offense with a run-first type of QB, but the Duke defensive line won the point of attack to stop the run game. Tulane’s offense did not look great and never really tested the Duke secondary, and a better QB would probably have capitalized on those opportunities. Duke’s complete lack of passing offense is a concern going forward.

VMI - Virginia Tech (Virginia Tech wins 73-3)

Christopher Helling - I though Syracuse’s FCS opponent looked overmatched until I saw this one right after. This looked like two teams in different athletic divisions, and it’s too early to make any conclusions about VT and new head coach James Franklin.

Any other thoughts on the teams?

Christopher Helling - It’s one thing to have football almost every day, but the rain delays and FSU’s power outage were killing me. Though to be fair, a stadium power outage for SMU-FSU is about as Texas-Florida as it gets.

The Bear Market hides its pain

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 19:01:33 GMT

Piotr and Nick are back from off-season hibernation with an extra full season preview episode of Write for California’s premium subscription podcast. Give this episode a listen and consider subscribi…

Cal v. Syracuse College Football 2026 Betting Odds and Lines

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:03:27 GMT

Syracuse University in Syracuse, N.Y.

The California Golden Bears are underdogs against the Syracuse Orange, according to the latest college football lines and odds offered by sportsbooks.

Cal v. Syracuse college football betting pick, odds and lines: Who is favored to win?

According to data independently collected by Write for California, the latest college football betting odds for Cal v. Syracuse is between Cal +3 and Cal +3.5, as of Wednesday morning.

The Cal +3.5 line implies the California Golden Bears are about three-point underdogs against the Syracuse Orange.

Cal v. Syracuse college football: What you should know

The California Golden Bears are 0-1 in the 2026 college football season, after losing to the UCLA Bruins last week. In contrast, the Syracuse Orange are 1-0. Syracuse beat New Hampshire, 66-3, to kick off its season.

Cal has a 1-2 all-time record against Syracuse in a series dating back to 1967, the last time the Golden Bears played in Syracuse, N.Y. In their last matchup, Cal lost 25-33 in Berkeley, Calif., on Nov. 16, 2024, in the first contest between the two teams as conference opponents.

Cal has a 0-1 record against Syracuse on the road. The California Golden Bears travel to Syracuse, N.Y., to play against the Syracuse Orange this weekend.

The California Golden Bears have a 0-1 record against the spread in the 2026 college football season.

According to Vegas Insider, which analyzes and aggregates sportsbooks’ offered odds and lines, the Cal v. Syracuse college football line opened at about Cal -1.5. The line movement indicates that bets have come in against Cal, who were initially the favorites against Syracuse.

Vegas Insider reports the Cal v. Syracuse moneyline opened at about Cal -120 and Syracuse at even odds. Over the week, the moneyline has shifted in Syracuse’s favor. The Cal v. Syracuse total opened at about 52.5 points, according to the same website.

According to Vegas Insider’s analysis, 58% of bets on Cal v. Syracuse with a point spread have been on the Syracuse Orange, and 89% of Cal v. Syracuse moneyline bets have been on Syracuse. Vegas Insider also reports that 63% of total score bets have been on the over.

The odds aggregator reports that 53% of all dollars bet on Cal v. Syracuse with a point spread have been on Cal, 75% of dollars bet on the Cal v. Syracuse moneyline have been on Syracuse and 59% of dollars bet have been on the over, as of Wednesday morning.

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Syracuse Defensive Preview: Can Cal avoid the Orange Crush?

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 10:03:43 GMT

Cal will make its maiden 2026 cross-country voyage to open ACC play this Saturday against Syracuse. At the top of the priority list will be finding offensive consistency that doesn’t involve a JKS hero ball. Standing in their way is Vince Kehres and the Orange Defense.

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: VINCE KEHRES

Kehres spent most of his career coaching and playing for D-III Mount Union, where he led them to an absurd 95-6 record and two national titles. Most recently, he had a stint at Toledo as Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach. He led a solid Rockets Defense last year that ranked highly across a number of dimensions. Past players describe him as a confident, calm, and collected leader with an impressive penchant for winning.

SYRACUSE DEFENSE: OVERVIEW

The Orange entered the season with a 65th-ranked Defensive SP+ grade. They run a 4-2-5 scheme that will attempt to make a dramatic jump in performance through upside additions in the portal and veteran secondary play.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Cal coaches and fans alike are much the wiser if they take note of these Syracuse playmakers who have the potential to cause trouble come Saturday afternoon:

Chris Peal: The Georgia transfer cornerback is a Phil Steele Preseason All-American who returns for Syracuse after playing in every game last year. However, he was ejected for targeting in last week’s win over New Hampshire. It will be interesting to see if he and other Orange players who combined for over 100 yards in penalties continue to trap themselves with undisciplined play.

Antoine Deslauriers: The linebacker was a Freshman All-American last season who could create havoc for a Cal offensive line that struggled last week.

Rashard Perry: The Defensive Lineman came to Berkeley several seasons ago, where he made his first start. He sported a 98 PFF grade and an interception last week.

Keyshawn Johnson: The UT Martin transfer has the potential to be a nightmare in the pass rush, particularly if Cal is unable to retool its pass protection this week. He made the PFF College Football Team of the Week for his play against New Hampshire.

Chris D’Appolonia: The linebacker came over from Toledo with Kehres and made the Bruce Feldman “College Football Freaks List”.

LAST WEEK: DOMINATING WIN OVER FCS NEW HAMPSHIRE

Syracuse demolished New Hampshire 66-3 in no small part thanks to a stifling defensive performance. Kehr’s group earned an 89.3 PFF defensive grade alongside an interception, 4 forced fumbles, 5 sacks, and just 155 yards of offense allowed. While it is foolish to extrapolate much from this game given the lopsided edge in talent, there are a few key takeaways.

Foremost, this secondary should be a very strong test for Cal’s receivers. In addition to Peal, Demetrius Samuel is a returning Sophomore at cornerback with the talent to cover Cal’s wideouts and dangerously return kicks. This could be a game where the Golden Bears offense will have to rely on JKS throwing receivers open again.

Though they played well last week, Syracuse is not particularly deep in the trenches and lacks a corps of proven talent. Given that this is their first game against a P4 opponent, there is reason to believe that Syracuse coaches will still be figuring out the rotation.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

After a rough performance on the defensive side of the ball last season, Syracuse has almost entirely turned over its defensive personnel. They have proven answers in the secondary and solid starters at linebacker, edge, and one tackle spot. However, there are a lot of remaining questions about the rotation and what they look like against peer competition. Because of the nature of their blowout last week, Syracuse used a lot of their depth in a manner that may not accurately reflect snap counts for this upcoming week.

It is safe to assume that the Orange will try to leverage their cornerback talent and load up the box against Cal. However, with so many of their starters lacking P4 experience, I wouldn't be surprised if the run defense in particular shows some cracks in the armor come Saturday.

Regardless, if Cal wants to perform a resurrection on their aspirations for 2026, throttling Vince Kehres’ group is of the utmost importance.

DBD 2026-09-09: Are you ready for some FOOTBALL??!!

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 03:08:12 GMT

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Wurster Hall: Syracuse University of Syracuse

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 19:01:08 GMT

Welcome back to our new Data and Analytics Series, Wurster Hall - “Like Evans Hall, but a little more art and design focused.”

This week we’re going to do a deep dive on the University of Syracuse, a university in Syracuse. Known by locals to the region as Racuse, many consider it a de-facto Ivy League school. Or as some have put it, an Ivy League level of tuition but with an SEC Education. But enough blabbering, let’s get to what you’re here for! The math, the numbers, and the meaning!

US News and World Report University Rankings

We start this week by looking at the US News and World Report Rankings since 1984, which is the best publicly available data. Thanks to Andrew G. Reiter (available at: http://andyreiter.com/datasets/) for putting it together! I’m sure this was your intended use. Pretty clear and easy trendline here! And that my friends is the high-level analysis we provide here in Wurster Hall.

What’s In A Name Anyways?

Our next important data point when comparing these two prestidigitacious universities is the number of letters contained within each of the names of the cities that the universities are located in. As covered last week, Berkeley has 8 total letters and 6 unique letters. Syracuse on the other hand, located in Syracuse, NY, also has 8 total letters and 7 unique letters, just edging out over Berkeley. Credit where it’s due, this is a statistical measure that is sure to show up on the field on Saturday.

Zoo Bears

Another important statistic to cover is the DtNBZ+, or “Distance to Nearest Bear in Zoo”. This metric is assessed by using Google Maps to find the nearest Zoo to each university, and then a cursory search of the inhabitants of that Zoo. In this week’s edition, unfortunately UC Berkeley is further from their nearest bear as Syracuse University has a bear roughly 2.6 miles from campus. Of course some of those points are deducted as it’s an Andean Bear and not a true Grizzly or Black Bear, but still, this will be something to monitor, especially in the trenches as the Golden Bears derive a lot of their power from their proximity to the nearest bear (this is why we used to have a live bear mascot.)

Wikipedia, The World’s Dictionary

Of course no comparison of these fine universities, or any university for that matter, is complete without looking at how much they’ve contributed societalogically, namely, how many references does their Wikipedia page contain. (This is a hidden factor in the US News and World Report rankings). As we learned last week, Cal Berkeley of Berkeley, CA has 309 references as of press time, while Syracuse sits around 293. Close, but fortunately we have to tip the scales here to UC Berkeley. Look for this to impact the field during the portion of the football game, right before the coin-flip, where the referees consider wikipedia length as a function of how to determine what targetting is.

Hot Diggity Dog

This week we’re excited to a debut a “hot” new statistic (do you get it?), distance from campus to the nearest Hot Dog stand/restaurant. Those of you from Berkeley know that the nearest Hot Dog to campus is of course Top Dog, currently on Durant, but soon to open a second location in downtown Berkeley! Using a highly technical calculator, we estimate that laid end to end, Top Dog is around 1,000 hot dogs away from campus, give or take 30. Syracuse on the other hand’s nearest hot dog stand is Tall Paul’s Dog Cabin, a completely real restaurant apparently. While the completely real photo I found online on the left looks amazing, unfortunately any Bears fans looking to savor these protein tubes will have to walk nearly 9,000 hot lengths just to get to the location. Another win for California.

Wait, How Much Is Tuition?

Another important measure of academic prowess is the tuition bill. Measured annually in dollars (/ˈdälər/ n. A dollar is a standard unit of money used in the United States, Canada, Australia, and several other countries.), this metric helps us to judge a university by its effective worth. Take for example Racuse, who when they opened in 1870, charged $40 for tuition or roughly $1,142.86 in today’s inflation adjusted value. UC Berkeley on the other hand elected to make tuition free for any and all California residents in 1868. That $0 cost adjusted for 2026 inflation figures is still just $0 which is frankly incredible. Flash forward now to 2026 and Syracuse is charging $69,180. This of course is incredibly ridiculous, mainly for the reason that if they had found a way to increase it another $240 the entire tone of this paragraph would be different! Another incredible point in favor of California.

Building Envy

Any head to head matchup can often be predicted by height as the old time saying goes that we’ve all heard of. In any case, we’d be remiss not to compare building heights across both campusii with Syracuse’s Lawrinson Hall coming in at 223 feet, just shy of the 307 foot Campanile found in the middle of Cal’s campus. Another win for California!

Take a Hike

This next datapoint shouldn’t be too hard to understand as we turn again to our good friend Google Maps to see just how far it is from each Chancellor’s House to their respective Football Stadium. It’s pretty close as far as distance with UC Berkeley just taking the edge by 0.1 miles (or 1,000 hot dogs, a Top Dog if you will). This is also true when considering the elevation gain on that hike. At UC Berkeley, you gain about 0.019 miles of elevation (200 hot dogs) on the trek while at Syracuse, you only gain 0.007 miles (72 hot dogs). Pathetic. That walk to the stadium is crucial for last minute hydration breaks! Take your time! Enjoy the scenery (and the rest of that roadie in your pocket).

And with that, we’ve learned everything we need to know about Racuse! That’s all the statistics! We scrounged the whole internet and came up with these delectable data points. Thanks for reading, and join us next week as we learn about…the University of Wagner from Wagner, New York!

DBD 2026-09-08: Moffitt Undergraduate Library

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 10:05:48 GMT

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The Rodcast: Hoops Practice

Bear Insider — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 01:30:08 GMT

Post-Game Thoughts: UCLA Football 2026

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 10:04:26 GMT

Because I’m a Cal fan with a broken brain, I thought about all of the ways that Saturday night could hurt.

Many of them came true. I thought about the pain of an off-season of anticipation immediately deflated by a rivalry loss. I thought about another chance to build fan momentum pierced by defeat. I thought about what the game would look like if the offensive line was about the same as last year. I thought about what the game would look like if Bob Chesney’s JMU imports looked cohesive while Cal’s remade defense didn’t.

The one thing I didn’t think about was the game swinging on a JKS misread.

I said before the game that I thought Cal would win because JKS would outplay Nico Iamaleava. For 3 quarters, that was dead on. JKS made great throw after great throw, keeping Cal in the game, while Nico threw one bad interception. Then:

If that throw goes to Ian Strong, it’s probably a first down and at worst 3rd and short. if JKS pumps and holds the ball a second longer and lets Mini’s route develop, he might be able to hit him over the top for a huge gain. Instead JKS floats an aimless ball between them for an easy pick, and the game was all but decided.

This game isn’t entirely, or even mostly, on JKS. As noted above, JKS was the reason this game wasn’t already over.

The problem last year was that Cal needed their superstar quarterback to be nearly perfect to win games. Cal’s off-season roster overhaul was supposed to fix that problem.

Against UCLA, JKS had to be perfect to win, and Cal football is still feeling a lot like 2025.

Offense

Efficiency Report

11 drives: 3 touchdowns, 1 field goal attempt (1-1), 3 punts, 4 turnovers (1 fumble, 2 interceptions, 1 downs), 2.2 points/drive.

Removed: Cal’s kneel down to end the first half, and the final two drives in the end of the game when down by two scores.

This isn’t terrible efficiency against a Big-10 defense, though obviously we’ll need to evaluate that over time to see how much better UCLA’s defense is under Chesney. There were flashes of what Cal could become, and based on the evidence of one game, I’m confident that Cal’s skill position upgrades have in fact raised the floor and the ceiling of the offense. Ian Strong had some nice high point catches, Chase Hendricks was active and reliable. If Cal can get Dorian Thomas back and healthy to add a more viable pass catching threat to their two tight end sets, things could get interesting.

There are, however, some of the same old issues:

Run blocking must improve, or play calling must change

Last year, Cal had one of the least effective rushing attacks in power conference football - 325 handoffs to running backs, for 1182 yards, or 3.6 yards/run.

Against UCLA, Cal handed the ball off 34 times, for 141 yards, good for 4.1 yards/run.

That’s a slight but non-impactful improvement from last year, and still well below the efficiency threshold necessary to be an effective rushing offense. And maybe that shouldn’t be shocking considering that Cal’s line is basically the same line from last year.

What HAS changed from last year is run/pass balance. Last year, Cal quickly realized that their strength was JKS, and ended up calling drop back passes on 63% of their plays. Against UCLA, that fell to 53%.

Put simply: Cal cannot be an effective offense if they run the ball 47% of the time and only gain 4 yards/run, with one run going longer than 11 yards. That particularly won’t work if Cal is going to be very run heavy on early downs, because it puts JKS in a bunch of 3rd-and-long situations that aren’t ideal for any offense, particularly when teams can tee off on passing downs like UCLA did on the 3rd and 8 sack/fumble play that nearly put Cal in an 18 point hole at halftime.

Defense

Efficiency Report

12 drives: 5 touchdowns, 1 field goal attempt (1-1), 5 punts, 1 turnover (interception), 3.2 points/drive.

This was a very boom-or-bust match-up - UCLA either scored a touchdown or punted it away quickly, with four 3-and-outs.

Two of UCLA’s early 3-and-outs were very similar - Cal batted down 2nd down attempts from Nico, then got pressure to force an incompletion on 3rd down. UCLA’s 2nd half drives were stopped to some extent by self-inflicted errors. One ended after an illegal substitution penalty turned 3rd and 1 into 3rd and 6, while another UCLA drive was killed by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

When Cal was actually able to force UCLA into throwing downs and focus on pass rush, the defense was actually OK and is maybe a tiny sliver of optimism. Nico wasn’t able to make easy reads and Cal got solid pressure. It’s just that Cal forced vanishingly few passing downs in the first place - just six 3rd downs of more than 4 yards to go, and one of those six was caused by a penalty.

Cal just couldn’t defend on early downs to force passing downs because . . .

Trucked in the run game

There are a number of ways to contextualize run defense, and all of them look miserable for Cal. Here are a few:

Let’s start simple: 8.7 yards/run obviously looks rough, but sometimes teams can put up big numbers with a couple of explosive runs and UCLA obviously got those, especially in garbage time. Was it really that bad?
Yes, it was that bad, because UCLA ran the ball 27 times and was stopped for no gain or a loss ZERO times.
Of those 27 runs, 21 went for 4+ yards.

The short summary is that Cal consistently lost the battle up front, and as the game went on UCLA’s backs increasingly made Cal miss in space to turn shorter runs into longer runs.

How concerning is this? UCLA clearly has excellent skill position guys, so I’m not shocked that they broke off a few big runs. I’m much more concerned that UCLA’s rebuilt offensive line was so dominant over Cal’s rebuilt defensive line. UCLA also went portal shopping for tackles. They went with Hall Schmidt, who lost his starting job at Boise last year before transferring, and Jordan Davis, who was largely an unremarkable three year player for South Alabama coming off a season ending injury.

Cal’s front was apparently beat up coming into the game, but this was still a distressingly one-sided battle.

Participation report

Here is a list of defensive players who were widely viewed as in competition to make the two deep but didn’t play against UCLA:

Cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew
Outside linebacker Justin Beadles
Outside linebacker Joshua Pierce
Cornerback/nickleback Jasiah Wagoner

Those names are notable because by my count 26(!) different players got snaps on defense for Cal. I’m waiting to get that number confirmed by the stat tracking service we subscribe to (some of the participation may have been on special teams only) that hadn’t updated as of deadline for this article. Those four names are noteworthy because a few of them (particularly Beadles and Groves-Killebrew) were expected to compete for a starting slot and in a game where Cal went DEEP into the rotation there’s a decent chance that they were injury scratches.

Special Teams

Low impact day

Both teams averaged 42 yards net punting, both field goal units succeeded without incident . . . probably the only special teams play of note was Cal’s decision to pop up a kick late in the 2nd quarter while also committing a 5 yard offsides penalty, gifting UCLA 12 yards of field position that helped them get into field goal range . . . though admittedly this would have been forgotten if Cal didn’t just completely lose track of Mikey Matthews in an obvious deep passing situation as if the Bears were just expecting UCLA to take a knee or something. Those three points felt consequential at the time, but when you end up losing by 21, oh well.

Don’t return kickoffs

I doubt this had a major impact on the game, but twice Niles Davis elected to return kickoffs from the goal line, and twice was unable to get the ball particularly close to the 25, and I must renew my annual plea: please just signal for a fair catch.

Coaching/Game Theory

Would the play have worked?

The single most important in-game decision made by Tosh Lupoi was to attempt a 4th and 3 conversion when just past midfield, with a bit more than 11 minutes remaining.

It was the 10th play of the game for back-up center Ashton Rivera, who entered the game when starting center Bastian Swinney left with an injury, and the play was dead before it began when Rivera snapped the ball prematurely, while players were still in motion and JKS wasn’t even looking for the ball.

The play wasn’t immediately harmful, as Cal’s defense forced a 3-and-out for UCLA, but the real harm was 1) loss of a scoring opportunity combined with 2) loss of field position, as Cal got the ball back on their own 18.

In the moment, I would have preferred a punt because Cal’s defense had gotten a few stops and I liked their odds to hold if Cal pinned UCLA deep. But in retrospect, knowing how fragile Cal’s defense was, maybe maximizing scoring opportunities was the right call?

It was ultimately a marginal decision, but an early insight into how Tosh wants to call games.

Big Picture

In a few months, we will look back on this game in one of two ways. It will either be a signpost of how much progress Cal has made as a team, or the first warning sign of roster weaknesses that cannot be solved in-season.

First games are often deceptive, because practice can only tell you so much, and games reveal reality.

Did Cal play 26 guys on defense because the roster is lacking in top end talent? Was it really just an extended part of fall camp evaluation? Or a deliberate strategy to try to maintain intensity and build depth?

~~Cal will have two weeks to prepare for Syracuse, with a tune up game against FCS Wagner (who lost to Robert Morris 28-7 in week zero, then beat DII Southern Connecticut State on Saturday) in between.~~

Cal has one week to figure out how to get right before a road game against Syracuse, who easily dispatched FCS New Hampshire this week.

A lot of people were ready to start making conclusions about Cal’s players and (very inexperienced) coaches after one game, which is an instinct I fully understand and may have succumbed to over the weekend. We have one data point, and it’s concerning. But we’ll start finding out more over the next few weeks to see if Cal’s coaches can make improvements and get the Bears on a positive trajectory.

It’s hard to avoid (because my UCLA-hating brain is screaming the opposite) but one game evaluations and conclusions are not useful. It’s reasonable to downgrade your expectations after the first piece of 2026 data, but far too early to give up on the season.

Cal v. UCLA Football 2026: Bears Fall to Bruins, 24-45

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 06:37:36 GMT

image courtesy of @CalFootball

The start of the 2026 season marked the first sellout crowd in Cal Memorial Stadium since 2024’s Big Game.

Cal’s first drive was a success off the back of RB Adam Mohammed, who finished the game with 120 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Wayne Knight handled the punt return and first play for the Bruins, with receiver Brian Rowe Jr. acting as the focal point for the next two plays, taking a backfield handoff for 20 yards. The Bruins made use of most of their pass catchers on their first drive down the field, facing almost no resistance from the defense; finally, a defensive penalty got UCLA to the Cal 9 yard line, where QB Nico Iamaleava ran it in on a keeper.

The next few possessions fizzled out for both sides, with Cal’s defense finding its footing, batting down passes and containing the Bruins’ excellent run game. While the Bruins found fewer opportunities to get to the quarterback, Cal found themselves stymied and unable to create momentum until the end of the first quarter, which ended on a first down that brought them to UCLA’s 29 yard line. Finally Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele found Ian Strong to get the team within field goal range, and the Bears took a three point lead.

The Bruins bounced back, with RB Anthony Woods bouncing off the scrum and finding open field for a 31 yard touchdown run. Soon after, UCLA was back in Bear territory with seven minutes left in the first half. A combination of Javian Thomas and Wayne Knight finished the job, the latter making it a two score lead with three minutes and change left in the half.

Things were looking grim once again for the Bears, before DB Kingston Lopa picked off the Bruins, saving the game from getting out of hand before the end of the first half. On 3rd and 10 deep in their own backfield, JKS connected with Ian Strong for a 50 yard gain. JKS then connected with Chase Hendricks to get it within range and Mason Mini for the touchdown, making it 21-17 going into the half.

UCLA’s opening drive of the second half sputtered out, with the only features of the drive being an injury to their WR Landon Ellis. Cal responded with a scoring drive to tie the game, marked largely by grinding drives by Adam Mohammed, but also featured an injury to center Bastian Sweeney.

The second half became a slog, with both teams tamping down their run defense and both teams amassing the sort of penalties that kill drives. Looking to build momentum, Cal went for it on 4th and 3, failed, and gave UCLA the ball back at midfield with 11 minutes left to play. UCLA was called for unsportsmanlike conduct shortly after that, which helped kill the opportunity handed to them. Shortly thereafter, a pass bounced off Ian Strong’s hands, giving the Bruins back the ball at the California 30, as if the whole thing had never happened. Wayne Knight ran 31 yards for a touchdown the next play, and the game quickly went from close to out of hand.

On the following drive, Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele threw another interception to give UCLA the ball back at midfield once more, and energy began to leave the stadium. On 3rd and 1 on the next set of downs, UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava went down with an apparent lower body injury, and was replaced by his freshman brother Madden Iamaleava. Wayne Knight’s ability to stay upright helped keep the drive alive, and he found the endzone once again, making it 38-24 after the extra point, with under three minutes remaining. After another ill-fated Cal possession, Anthony Woods ran 53 yards for another touchdown, bringing the final score to 45-24.

Cal had possession a full ten minutes more than their opponent, and 51 fewer penalty yards, but ultimately could not account for the efficiency and inventiveness of UCLA’s run game in a disappointing start to a season that still promises excitement.

Non-Cal 2026 College Football Week 1: Live Chat

Sat, 05 Sep 2026 16:50:45 GMT

Week 1 Saturday

Bryant at Army
9:00 am PT / 12:00 pm ET, CBSSN
Coastal Carolina at West Virginia
9:00 am PT / 12:00 pm ET, TNT / HBO Max
East Carolina at #13 Alabama
9:00 am PT / 12:00 pm ET, ABC
Lafayette at UConn
9:00 am PT / 12:00 pm ET, WFSB / WWAX
Liberty at James Madison
9:00 am PT / 12:00 pm ET, ESPNU
New Hampshire at Syracuse
9:00 am PT / 12:00 pm ET, ACCN
North Texas at #6 Indiana
9:00 am PT / 12:00 pm ET, FOX
Ohio at Nebraska
9:00 am PT / 12:00 pm ET, FS1
Oregon State at #23 Houston
9:00 am PT / 12:00 pm ET, ESPN / Disney+
Tarleton State at Bowling Green
9:00 am PT / 12:00 pm ET, ESPN+
Miami (Ohio) at Pitt
9:30 am PT / 12:30 pm ET, The CW
Ball State at #1 Ohio State
9:30 am PT / 12:30 pm ET, BTN
Kent State at South Carolina
9:45 am PT / 12:45 pm ET, SEC Network
Southeast Missouri at Iowa State
10:00 am PT / 1:00 pm ET, ESPN+
Duquesne at Air Force
10:00 am PT / 1:00 pm ET, MW+
Youngstown State at Kentucky
10:00 am PT / 1:00 pm ET, SEC Network+
Rhode Island at Temple
11:00 am PT / 2:00 pm ET, ESPN+
Tennessee State at #3 Georgia
12:00 pm PT / 3:00 pm ET, SEC Network+
Baylor vs. Auburn (Atlanta, GA)
12:30 pm PT / 3:30 pm ET, ABC / Disney+
#2 Boise State at #2 Oregon
12:30 pm PT / 3:30 pm ET, CBS / Paramount+
Boston College at Cincinnati
12:30 pm PT / 3:30 pm ET, FOX
Furman at #20 Tennessee
12:30 pm PT / 3:30 pm ET, SEC Network+
Maine at Appalachian State
12:30 pm PT / 3:30 pm ET, ESPN+
Marshall at #18 Penn State
12:30 pm PT / 3:30 pm ET, FS1
Texas State at #5 Texas
12:30 pm PT / 3:30 pm ET, ESPN
The Citadel at Charlotte
12:30 pm PT / 3:30 pm ET, ESPN+
Towson at Navy
12:30 pm PT / 3:30 pm ET, CBSSN
Tulane at Duke
12:30 pm PT / 3:30 pm ET, ACCN
UTRGV at UTSA
12:30 pm PT / 3:30 pm ET, ESPN+
Fordham at North Dakota State
12:30 pm PT / 3:30 pm ET, WDAY / MW+
Oklahoma State at Tulsa
12:45 pm PT / 3:45 pm ET, ESPNU
North Alabama at Arkansas
1:15 pm PT / 4:15 pm ET, SEC Network
NIU at #22 Iowa
1:15 pm PT / 4:15 pm ET, BTN
Alcorn State at Southern Miss
2:00 pm PT / 5:00 pm ET, ESPN+
Norfolk State at Old Dominion
3:00 pm PT / 6:00 pm ET, ESPN+
Wyoming at Colorado State
3:00 pm PT / 6:00 pm ET, USA
Abilene Christian at #12 Texas Tech
4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET, FS1
Arkansas State at Memphis
4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET, ESPN+
Austin Peay at Vanderbilt
4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET, SEC Network+
Charleston Southern at Georgia Southern
4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET, ESPN+
Eastern Kentucky at Jacksonville State
4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET, ESPN+
FIU at USF
4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET, ESPN+
HCU at Rice
4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET, ESPN+
Idaho State at Utah State
4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET, CBSSN
Mercyhurst at New Mexico State
4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET, ESPN+
Missouri State at #8 Texas A&M
4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET, ESPN
Murray State at Middle Tennessee
4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET, ESPN+
Nicholls at Kansas State
4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET, ESPN+
Sam Houston at Troy
4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET, ESPN+
Southeastern Louisiana at South Alabama
4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET, ESPN+
#11 Clemson vs. #11 LSU
4:30 pm PT / 7:30 pm ET, ABC
Northwestern State at Louisiana Tech
4:30 pm PT / 7:30 pm ET, ESPN+
ULM at Mississippi State
4:30 pm PT / 7:30 pm ET, ESPNU
VMI at Virginia Tech
4:30 pm PT / 7:30 pm ET, ACCN
Western Michigan at #16 Michigan
4:30 pm PT / 7:30 pm ET, NBC / Peacock
Florida Atlantic at Florida
4:45 pm PT / 7:45 pm ET, SEC Network
Hampton at Maryland
5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET, BTN
Lamar at Louisiana
5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET, ESPN+
South Dakota State at Northwestern
5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET, BTN
Utah Tech at #14 BYU
5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET, ESPN+
Northern Arizona at Arizona
6:30 pm PT / 9:30 pm ET, ESPN+
Portland State at San Diego State
6:30 pm PT / 9:30 pm ET, USA
UNLV at Hawaii
7:00 pm PT / 10:00 pm ET, The CW
Central Michigan at New Mexico
7:00 pm PT / 10:00 pm ET, FS1
MVSU at Sacramento State
7:00 pm PT / 10:00 pm ET, ESPN+
Morgan State at Arizona State
7:00 pm PT / 10:00 pm ET, ESPN+
UCLA at California
7:30 pm PT / 10:30 pm ET, ESPN
WKU at Nevada
7:30 pm PT / 10:30 pm ET, CBSSN

Cal vs. UCLA Bruins Football 2026: Live Fan Chat - Bruins Rout Bears, 45-24

Sat, 05 Sep 2026 16:03:12 GMT

How to watch Cal v. UCLA College Football

When: Saturday, September 5th, 2026
Kick-Off Time: 7:30 p.m. Pacific
Where: California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, CA
TV: ESPN
Radio: KGO 810 AM or The Varsity App

How to watch Cal v. UCLA college football online

The Cal v. UCLA college football game will air on ESPN. Fans can stream ESPN from their favorite mobile device on the ESPN App, or another live TV streaming service.

Follow along Saturday in our live game threads and @WriteForCalLIVE on Twitter for real-time commentary, play-by-play analysis and reactions.

Cal v. UCLA college football first quarter stats

Cal v. UCLA college football second quarter and first-half stats

Cal v. UCLA college football third quarter stats

Cal v. UCLA college football fourth game and full-game stats

Bear Insider Podcast - The Latest in the Lair: Actor and Cal Grad Ed Quinn

Bear Insider — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 22:56:16 GMT

2026 College Football Opening Weekend: Friday Live Chat

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 22:52:00 GMT

San Jose State at Eastern Michigan
3:30 pm PT / 6:30 pm ET, ESPN+
Indiana State at Purdue
4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET, BTN
North Carolina A&T at Georgia State
4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET, ESPN+
Franklin Pierce at Marist
4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET, ESPN+
LIU at Kansas
5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET, ESPNU
Toledo at Michigan State
5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET, FS1
UTEP at #10 Oklahoma
5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET, SEC Network+
Fresno State at #14 USC
6:00 pm PT / 9:00 pm ET, FOX
#7 Miami (FL) at Stanford
6:00 pm PT / 9:00 pm ET, ESPN

Cal Depth Chart Discussion and Projections - Defensive Coaching Staff

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 22:30:28 GMT

Just as in the case of going grocery shopping when hungry, sometimes you get home realizing you have a whole mess of things to eat and go through all for the week. This is how I felt when I went through to the last stretch of this series.

Photo Credit: Rob Hwang

Finally we have arrived at the file section: Defensive Coaches

DC: Michael Hutchings & co-DC/DB Coach: Da’Von Brown

Probably my favorite of the two coordinator signings due to his proximity to my favorite of the NFL defensive gurus: Brian Flores of the Vikings. And so far he has had an immense influence in the NFL and the way we think of defenses. I expect him to bring the core concepts of Palms/Quarters looks with some real sicko blitzes.

“A unique, almost psychotically aggressive style, that is rewriting the way modern defense is played” - Brett Kollman

In the video linked in the quote above it goes deeper into the way DC Flores deployed the blitz. Keeping it short: the blitz under Flores is often paired with their a 2 of 4 deep shell unlike the traditional 3 deep, 3 intermediate zone looks. By deploying a zone blitz with varying coverages in the back-end forcing opposing offenses to settle on disciplined quick passing game.

Can DC Hutchings translate this very sexy defense to the collegiate level? Does he appreciate the unique challenge of having wider hashes leading to more space field-side and less space in the boundary? Can he coach his players knowing that the OL can go 3 yards deep on RPOs and not 1 yard like they do in the NFL?

I think the addition of co-DC/DB coach Brown serves as a counter balance in experience his Coach Brown comes from WKU where he also served in the same role

DL: Darrion Daniels & Assistant DL: Eddy McGlivra

DL Coach Daniels and his assistant Coach McGlivra come in as extremely young additions to the staff. Daniels worked with HC Lupoi in Oregon and has shown enough coaching acumen to merit a quick promotion to lead a room in the P4 level despite being in college less than a decade ago as a standout defensive end for Oklahoma State.

For Coach McGlivra there is an interesting nugget where most of his accolades come from the private coaching he provides to top tier NFL prospects and players.

"It's a combination of the precision and the methodology, and understanding the 'why' — understanding what a player does well and doesn't do well, and trying to fine-tune and find what works for a guy and help him master that," said LaBoy. "And the players are also invested in the coach — it's a coaching style, it's an attitude, it's an energy. And the players that I've had who have worked with Coach Ed, they really gravitate toward him, and how he speaks to them and connects and communicates with them.

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EDGE: Bryan Barazza & Assistant EDGE: Lorenzo Alexander

Here we have a study of contrasts in the eyes of Cal fans. EDGE Coach Barazza is another Oregon based hire who came with HC Lupoi with a relatively thin resume on and off the field, but must’ve impressed him to have him come and coach. On the otherside, the other coach needs no introduction:

ILB: Bob Gregory & Assistant ILB: Sione Ta’ufo’ou

Here is a fun fact to tack on more the theme of pairing youth and experience. Bob Gregory began collegiate coaching in 1987 which is 39 years ago, Sione Ta’ufo’ou began his collegiate coaching career in 2023 at UAB before coming to Cal in 2025 as assistant DL/OLB coach which is 3 years.

They will have a lot on their hands developing a very inexperienced but highly touted room replete with capital A Athletes who are all eager to make an impact on the field. The combination of opportunity and scheme will guarantee that Cal fans will know the names of the ILBs whether for good or bad.

co-DC/DB Coach: Da’Von Brown & Assistant DB Coach: Duke DaRe & Safeties coach: Connor Boyd

Cal DB room has always been the strength of the Wilcox era, HC Tosh decided to invest into the room by having co-DC Brown being apart of the room with Safeties Coach Boyd and DB Coach DaRe inheriting the right to form their own form of the TAKER crew.

Now much to say about the scheme that hasn’t been mentioned before. We have the most amount of youth on the team with DaRe and Boyd being relatively new in the coaching world.

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Defensive Pass Game Coordinator: Keith Heyward

Coach Heyward returns to Cal after taking time with UNLV, the Raiders, and Oregon State (also the only Cal coach with an active lawsuit with his former employer… huh I heard this one before). He has had a bevvy of experience across the defensive position rooms as well as defensive coordinator experience with Oregon State providing valuable insight into the way the collegiate passing game differs from the NFL one.

I feel, I think, I know

I want to end every segment of this series with some feelings, thoughts, and beliefs I have on the group of players discussed, based on the level of evidence and confidence.

I feel that…

We will have a coach become a top tier defensive coordinator from this staff, and a coach whose name will become a curse word on the lips of the Cal fans for the 2026 season. Which one of them will it be? I don’t know but the variance of outcomes dictates that both can be possibilities and this is strange to conceptualize.

I think that…

We will have game where the scheme will outsmart itself and there will be game where the defense will absolutely bring the opposing offense into a Wilcoxian chokehold. I think that it will depend on how Pro-Style centric the opposing offense is, the more they lean into NFL concepts the more likely it is for Cal to shut them down, but if we were to face a triple option team we’d be turbo fucked.

I know that…

That we will see some wild blitzes and some complex pass coverage concepts… whether they are successful is a very very different story. But scared money don’t make money.

and with this the Elephant is eaten and I am ready for Cal football to begin.

How to Watch Cal v. UCLA College Football: Live Stream and TV Channel

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 19:03:57 GMT

Courtesy: Al Sermeno/KLC fotos via Cal Athletics

The California Golden Bears open the 2026 college football season against the UCLA Bruins this weekend, renewing a series that began in 1933.

The Bruins hold a commanding edge in the series, with a 58-35-1 record against Cal In its last visit to California Memorial Stadium, then-No. 17 UCLA defeated California 35-28 in the 2022 regular-season finale. Cal won the teams’ last meeting in 2023, which was their last game as conference peers.

Here is how you can watch Cal v. UCLA college football this Saturday.

How to watch Cal v. UCLA college football

When: Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026
Kick-Off Time: 7:30 p.m. Pacific
Where: California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif.
TV: ESPN
Radio: KGO 810 AM; Channel 177 or 234 on SiriusXM Radio or Channel 958 on the SiriusXM app and website; The Varsity Network app; or the official Cal Bears YouTube channel

How to watch Cal v. UCLA college football online

The Cal v. UCLA college football game will air on ESPN.

ESPN can be streamed online on the ESPN website, ESPN app or a live TV streaming service.

Write for California will have a live fan stream for reactions and discussions on game day. Join the Write for California community in our live game thread and @WriteForCalLIVE on X for real-time commentary, play-by-play analysis, reactions and post-game press conference news from the Write for California staff.

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Write for California will not have a live online video stream of the Cal v. UCLA college football game.

A Write for California subscription never includes live TV streams of college football games, including Cal v. UCLA, or any other sports games or events.

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Scoreline: Cal wins 28-27

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Scoreline: Cal wins 23-20

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Scoreline: Cal wins 28-24

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UNC - TCU (UNC wins 15-10)

NC State - Virginia (Virginia wins 34-8)

Hawai’i - Stanford (Stanford wins 37-27)

New Mexico State - Florida State (FSU wins 34-17)

Akron - Wake Forest (Wake Forest wins 38-16)

Colorado - Georgia Tech (Georgia Tech loses 13-14)

Miami - Stanford (Stanford loses 6-45)

Clemson - LSU (Clemson loses 10-51)

New Hampshire - Syracuse (Syracuse wins 66-3)

Miami (OH) - Pitt (Pitt wins 59-14)

Boston College - Cincinnati (Boston College loses 15-34)

Tulane - Duke (Duke wins 17-3)

VMI - Virginia Tech (Virginia Tech wins 73-3)

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Cal v. UCLA college football first quarter stats

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