Cal will have a much different scene on its hands Saturday night than some of its West Coast neighbors did in Week 1.
With only 6,000 tickets left for the 7:30 p.m. kickoff against UCLA at Memorial Stadium, the Bears are projecting a sellout and a crowd well above what they drew at home a year ago. A Cal official said about 48,000 seats have already been purchased, and the school has opened additional capacity by removing tarps from two sections above the south tunnel, bringing the stadium total to 54,283. Depending on how demand holds up, more seats could be made available later in the season.
First-year coach Tosh Lupoi said Tuesday that the matchup gives Cal a chance to put its program, campus and fan base on display.
“This is a really cool opportunity to showcase our program, our university and our rocking’ fan base,” Lupoi said at his weekly news conference.
He also pointed to offseason efforts to connect with fraternities and sororities, along with a new student entrance designed to make getting into the stadium easier.
“At 7:30, we want everybody in their seats, ready to go and to join this fight with us, with a great opponent, a really good Big Ten team and a long-time West Coast foe,” Lupoi said. “So we’re really excited for the challenge, but want to make sure that everybody’s in their seats by kickoff.”
Cal averaged just 34,991 for six home games in 2025, with the high point coming against Virginia when 42,240 fans showed up. That means Saturday is set to deliver the Bears’ largest home crowd since then.
Lupoi also brought up the turnout elsewhere in the region last weekend, using USC’s home opener as a contrast. No.
14 USC beat San Jose 42-26 in front of an announced crowd of 51,144 at the 77,500-seat L.A. Coliseum, the smallest home crowd in Lincoln Riley’s five seasons.
Yahoo! Sports called the Coliseum “a ghost town,” and Stewart Mandel of The Athletic mocked the scene on social media.
The USC athletic department later released a statement acknowledging the disappointing turnout, and many observers questioned whether the announced figure was inflated.
“I don’t mean this by any disrespect to anybody, but to turn on the TV after our practice last Saturday to see that environment in Los Angeles,” Lupoi said. “It’s disheartening to see what little amount of individuals came out to support. And I can guarantee you that’s a completely different environment here.”
Stanford’s opener drew an even smaller reported crowd, with 23,222 on hand at 50,424-seat Stanford Stadium for the Cardinal’s 37-27 comeback win over Hawaii in Tavita Pritchard’s first game as coach.
Lupoi said again that Cal can be a major draw, especially now that the Raiders and A’s have left the Bay Area. In his view, the Bears “is fully capable of being one of the elite, premier college environments.”
Cal is also widening access to its home games in another way, offering a Spanish livestream of Bears football at home for the first time through the Cal football and Cal athletics YouTube pages.
In Other News...
Cal Is About To Face A UCLA Program In Fresh Chaos
Cal will be preparing for one of its familiar conference opponents under unusual circumstances, with UCLA now dealing with a leadership shake-up at the top of its athletic department just as the 2026 college football season is about to begin. The Bruins have moved on from athletic director Martin Jarmond and turned to former Lakers executive Tim Harris on an interim basis, a decision that adds another layer of instability around a program already trying to steady itself.
The timing matters for the Bears because this is not just an administrative change, but one that reportedly followed an audit and grew out of larger concerns about revenue, NIL strategy and internal friction within the department. For a Cal team looking at the league through its own lens, UCLA suddenly looks less like a settled rival and more like a program entering the season with fresh questions hanging over it. [Read more 🡒]
Cal QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele Is Already Giving UCLA Something To Worry About
With the opener against Cal drawing closer, UCLA coach Bob Chesney spent his first preseason press conference giving the Bears a little extra respect, especially when the conversation turned to sophomore quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Chesney pointed to the way Sagapolutele moves, throws and stays composed, a notable nod to a young quarterback who is already shaping up as one of the more important figures in the matchup. The Bears also present a broader scouting puzzle, with a roster full of new faces and coaches making the opener something of a fresh start on both sides.
Chesneys comments fit the larger reality surrounding this series of arrangements between the schools, including the ongoing financial agreement tied to UCLAs move to the Big Ten. For Cal, though, the more immediate takeaway is simpler: an opposing coach is already talking about its quarterback in the kind of terms that usually get attention. The Bears will have a chance to show whether that early buzz is deserved, and UCLA is clearly treating the assignment with the caution of a team that knows an opener can get tricky fast. [Read more 🡒]
Ashtyn Davis Latest 49ers Turn Should Grab Cal Fans Attention
Former Cal defensive back Ashtyn Davis found himself in a familiar NFL churn this week, a reminder of how quickly roster spots can change as teams sort through injuries and depth. Davis had been part of the 49ers mix, and his situation came as a number of other former Bears also landed on practice squads or new contracts around the league, including Brent Austin, TJ Bollers, Jackson Sirmon, Jake Curhan, Daniel Scott and Jaydn Ott.
For Cal fans, the bigger takeaway is how many of those old names are still hanging around NFL buildings and getting another shot to stick. Davis, in particular, remains the one to watch among the group because his path in San Francisco has already taken another turn, and the timing adds even more intrigue as the 49ers continue adjusting their roster around personnel changes elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]