The Cal Bears are staring down two straight early kickoffs, and the next two weeks will test just how well their routine holds up.
First up is a Saturday trip to SMU, where Cal will kick at 9 a.m. Pacific time.
The game in Dallas is set for 11 a.m. local time and will air on The CW. Then the ACC announced Monday that Cal’s October 31 road game at North Carolina State will follow the same schedule from a West Coast perspective, with kickoff at 9 a.m.
Pacific time, noon Eastern time.
That Halloween matchup at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh will be Cal’s first-ever game at NC State. It will start at noon in North Carolina, but for Cal fans, it will still come with a breakfast-hour feel. The game will be televised live on the ACC Network.
Cal’s only previous meeting with the Wolfpack ended in a 24-23 NC State win in Berkeley in 2024.
The Bears will be on the road for their next three games, and they won’t return home until the Nov. 21 Big Game against Stanford.
Cal enters the stretch at 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the ACC after a 41-7 home loss to Wake Forest. NC State is 3-3 and 1-2 in the league after a bye weekend. Before that break, the Wolfpack also ran into trouble against Wake Forest, losing 38-14.
NC State will also face Stanford this Friday night on ESPN.
Cal’s quarterback situation remains unsettled heading into the trip to SMU, after Jackson Brousseau started against Wake Forest instead of Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.
In Other News...
Cal Recruiting Just Took Another Hit Fans Can't Ignore
Californias recruiting momentum took another jolt when four-star tight end Rahzario Edwards changed course after originally pledging to the Bears in late May. Edwards had been one of the more notable gets in Cals class, so his decision to flip to Mississippi is the kind of setback that stings because it lands before the season even gets going and underscores how fragile these commitments can be.
The unease around the class does not stop there. Four-star quarterback Dane Weber, another Cal commit, also made a trip to UCLA, though he brushed it off as just a visit for now. Even without an immediate change, it is the sort of development that keeps a staff on edge, especially when one highly regarded recruit has already moved on and another is still taking a harder look around the conference. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Heads Into A Brutal SMU Test With One Huge Concern
Cal heads to Dallas for the first of three straight road games, and the timing is hardly ideal. No. 24 SMU has been a problem for ACC opponents since arriving in the league, with Rhett Lashlees team pairing a sturdy defense with an offense that has given the Mustangs a quick rise in conference play. The trip also comes with an added layer of urgency for Cal, which is trying to regroup after a significant loss and get its footing before the road stretch really starts to stack up.
A big part of the challenge is navigating SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings, who has already established himself as the focal point of the Mustangs attack and a player who can make a defense pay in a hurry. Cal also has its own questions to sort through at quarterback, which makes this a difficult matchup even before factoring in SMUs recent special-teams change at placekicker. For a Bears team looking for stability, this is the kind of test that can expose every weak spot. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Fans Are Running Out Of Patience With This Season
The frustration around this season only got louder after a rough home date with a ranked opponent, with the Golden Bears sitting at 3-4 and still searching for anything that feels stable on offense. Tight end Mason Mini made it clear the locker room felt the disappointment from the latest setback, and coach Tosh Lupoi pointed to the second-half effort as a small positive in a game that otherwise left a lot to sort through.
What stands out now is how little certainty Cal has heading into the next matchup with SMU. Lupoi said the quarterback picture is still being evaluated, leaving the Bears in the awkward spot of trying to reset after another uneven outing while also deciding who gives them the best chance to get back on track. [Read more 🡒]