The first Saturday night of the college football season brings an all-California matchup, with UCLA and California set to open against each other in Week 1.
UCLA enters with a major chunk of last year’s team intact. The Bruins are bringing back 67% of their 2025 production, the ninth-highest rate in college football this season. That kind of continuity can matter, but it also comes with a question attached: does it help UCLA, or does it simply carry forward what didn’t work a year ago?
Nico Iamaleava is back for another season at UCLA, and the former Tennessee quarterback posted a steady 2025 campaign. He completed 64.4% of his passes for 1,928 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while also adding 505 yards on the ground. Even so, UCLA’s path in the Big Ten depends on Iamaleava taking a real step forward.
The bigger issue is what the Bruins are bringing back around him. UCLA’s advanced numbers from last season were rough across the board, with the team ranking 116th in Net EPA per Play, 87th in offensive success rate and 134th in defensive success rate. Returning production only goes so far if the underlying profile is that shaky.
California, meanwhile, went to work on its roster through the transfer portal and made an even bigger move by hiring Josh Lupoi as head coach. Lupoi’s defensive background is a major reason for optimism, especially after he coached one of the best defenses in the country at Oregon.
With that in mind, the pick here is California as a small underdog to open the season with an upset win.
In Other News...
Cal May Have Found The Answer To Its Run Game Problem
Cals search for help in the run game may have gotten an important boost in January, when Adam Mohammed arrived after transferring from Washington. The move raised a few eyebrows at the time, since he was viewed as a player with a real path to a bigger role, but Cals staff and teammates have been quick to praise both his ability and his approach. For a program trying to add stability and juice on the ground, that kind of addition matters.
Mohammed has also made clear that Cal checked more than one box for him, pointing to the chance to keep growing on the field while also getting the education he wanted. That blend of fit and opportunity is part of why he stands out as such a potentially useful piece for the Bears, who are still looking for answers to a run game that needed reinforcements. Whether he becomes the answer is still to be sorted out, but Cal has clearly identified him as a player worth leaning on. [Read more 🡒]
Cals Opener Already Comes With Defensive Questions Fans Cant Ignore
With no official depth chart released for the season opener against UCLA, Cal is left with a lot of educated guesswork as camp turns into game week. The offensive side appears mostly settled, but the projection on defense is far less firm, which is why the estimated lineup has become such a useful snapshot of where things stand heading into the first test of the year.
What stands out is how much could still shift once the games start, especially with multiple spots on defense open to change over the course of the season. The Bears are also expected to lean into a scheme built around two interior defensive linemen, two outside linebackers, two inside linebackers and five defensive backs, a setup that gives the staff some flexibility while leaving a few key lineup decisions unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Wants UCLA Week To Prove Something Bigger At Home
With a big home date against UCLA on deck, Cal is trying to turn the week into more than just another buzz-filled buildup. Tosh Lupoi spent time speaking directly to students and fans, pushing for a strong campus turnout while the program kept its emphasis on preparation and process rather than the spotlight surrounding the matchup. Coaches and team leaders have stressed that the best way to handle the anticipation is to stay locked in on their own work and not get pulled into the outside noise.
On the sideline structure, there will be a familiar division of labor in the booth and on the field, with Jordan Somerville handling play-calling from above and Nick Rolovitch working with the offense at ground level. It is the sort of setup that can matter most when the emotions around a home game start running high, and for Cal, this one is carrying enough attention that the details feel worth watching before a single snap is taken. [Read more 🡒]