Saturday night at Memorial Stadium brings together two programs hoping the market is ready to buy back in.
Cal and UCLA were each singled out by The Athletic this week as potential breakout “bandwagon” teams from the Power 4, and the two schools will get an early test of that idea when they meet in the season opener for both teams. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. for the 95th all-time meeting between the UC siblings, a series that stretches back to 1933 and resumes for the first time since 2023.
On paper, the projections line up with the optimism. Cal, picked 12th in the ACC preseason media poll, was projected by The Athletic to finish in a tie for fourth. UCLA, slotted 13th in the Big Ten poll, was forecast by the outlet to land in a share of fifth in the country’s deepest conference.
That kind of jump would fit neatly with where both programs want to go. Both would take those results in a heartbeat, and both are looking for a strong start to the season.
The common ground doesn’t stop there. Cal and UCLA also share a rough stretch that neither side would like to advertise: seven losing seasons in the last 10 years.
UCLA went 3-9 last season, dropping its first four games and its final five. Cal finished 7-6 after five straight losing seasons, though that record doesn’t tell the whole story. The Bears were blown out 34-0 by San Diego State and 31-10 at Stanford.
Now both schools turn to new voices on the sideline. Cal alum Tosh Lupoi will coach his alma mater, while Bob Chesney takes over in Westwood.
Lupoi, 45, is making his debut as a head coach after building his résumé as an assistant - often as a defensive coordinator - at Cal, Oregon, Washington, Alabama and in the NFL.
Chesney, 49, arrives with a long track record of head coaching at the Division III, Division II and FCS levels. That path set him up for the last two seasons at FBS newcomer James Madison, where he followed Curt Cignetti’s model and went 21-6, guiding the Dukes into the College Football Playoff last year.
Their paths crossed there, too. Lupoi and Oregon beat Chesney’s JMU team 51-34 in the CFP.
The quarterbacks give both staffs a foundation to build on. Cal returns Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele after a standout freshman season in which he topped 200 passing yards in every game and flashed big-time upside.
UCLA brings back senior Nico Iamaleava, who transferred from Tennessee last year and threw for 1,928 yards and 13 touchdowns while adding 505 rushing yards and four scores. The Bruins want more consistency from him this fall.
Both coaches also attacked the portal in a big way. Lupoi brought in 32 transfers, while Chesney added 43 players.
The help appears especially concentrated around the quarterbacks. Each roster picked up more talent at wide receiver, tight end, running back and along the offensive line.
For Cal, that group includes receivers Ian Strong and Chase Hendricks, tight end Dorian Thomas and running back Adam Mohammed. Four players also followed Lupoi from Oregon.
Chesney leaned heavily on players from his old James Madison team, bringing over 10 members of the 12-2 Dukes. That group includes three offensive linemen, wide receiver Landon Ellis, tight end Josh Phifer, defensive lineman Sahir West and linebacker Trent Hendrick.
The biggest name among the James Madison arrivals is 5-foot-7, 193-pound fifth-year running back Wayne Knight, who finished last season with 1,373 rushing yards and then added 110 against Lupoi and Oregon.
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