Cal’s bye week arrives with the Bears sitting at 3-6 overall and 2-4 in the ACC, but the bigger picture around the rest of the schedule offers a little more optimism than the record alone suggests.
The latest weekend around Cal’s 2026 opponents reinforced both sides of that story. Nine of the Bears’ 12 opponents were in action, and they finished 4-4, not counting UNLV’s late game Saturday.
For the full season, Cal’s opponents are 51-30 overall and 23-18 in ACC play. But the final stretch looks more manageable: Virginia, Stanford and Pitt are a combined 14-13 and just 7-11 in conference games.
None of those three final opponents played this weekend, leaving Cal’s path unchanged heading into next Saturday’s road trip to Virginia. The Cavaliers are 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the ACC, and they’re coming off a three-game losing streak that includes defeats to SMU, Duke and Wake Forest. They also have the extra time to recover after last week’s 51-7 loss to Wake Forest.
ESPN Analytics gives Virginia an 86.7% chance of beating Cal.
Around the rest of the schedule, UCLA kept rolling. The eighth-ranked Bruins stayed unbeaten, and for the fourth straight game they did it with Ty Dieffenbach starting at quarterback.
He completed only eight passes against Minnesota, but those throws went for 303 yards and three touchdowns. Two of them were 75-yard strikes to Aidan Mizell on UCLA’s first two offensive plays of the second half.
Under new head coach Bob Chesney, UCLA has been the biggest surprise in college football this season and does not face Indiana or Ohio State as it moves toward a Big Ten title game.
Syracuse, fresh off an upset of SMU, came up short against Clemson despite outgaining the Tigers and earning more first downs. Steve Angeli attempted 40 passes and completed 18, while Syracuse turned it over twice.
One giveaway led directly to a Clemson touchdown, and the other ended a drive that reached the Clemson 3-yard line in the fourth quarter. Clemson’s defense came up with the game’s biggest plays, including Jaheim Lawson’s 22-yard fumble return for a touchdown that pushed the Tigers ahead 18-6 in the third quarter and Ashton Hampton’s end-zone interception after Syracuse had reached the 3.
Wagner snapped a seven-game losing streak and picked up its first conference win by holding off Mercyhurst, which fell to 1-9.
Virginia Tech had production on the ground from Jeffrey Overton Jr., who ran for 123 yards, and the Hokies piled up 417 yards of offense. Still, it wasn’t enough. SMU erased a 20-14 second-quarter deficit with 24 straight points, ended Virginia Tech’s two-game winning streak and knocked the Hokies out of ACC title contention.
Wake Forest put together one of the weekend’s most lopsided performances, rolling past Merrimack with 730 yards of offense and a modern-day school record for points in a game. Steele Pizzella started at quarterback with Gio Lopez out injured, though Lopez is expected back next week at SMU.
The Demon Deacons have now outscored their last five opponents by 264-31. Merrimack, meanwhile, had beaten Wagner this season.
SMU answered its loss to Syracuse with a season-high 569 yards against Virginia Tech. Kevin Jennings threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns, and three of those scores went to Yamir Knight. The Mustangs remain 12-0 in ACC home games since joining the conference in 2024.
NC State, after scoring 31 points against Cal last week, couldn’t find the end zone against Duke. The Wolfpack managed only 217 yards, and CJ Bailey finished with 123 passing yards and minus-6 rushing yards in a 31-3 halftime hole. NC State’s only win in its last four games came against Cal.
Stanford enters the final month at 0-4 on the road and will visit Virginia Tech next Saturday before heading to Berkeley on November 21. ESPN Analytics gives Cal a 64.5% chance to beat the Cardinal.
Pitt, meanwhile, had been 0-3 since Mason Heintschel’s season-ending injury before beating Georgia Tech behind Holden Geriner last week. The Panthers are 6-3 overall and 3-3 in the ACC, and ESPN Analytics gives them a 79.5% chance to beat Cal. Pitt visits Florida State on Friday before coming to Berkeley.
Cal’s final three games may not be easy, but compared with what the Bears have already faced, the closing stretch at least offers a chance to finish stronger than the record suggests.
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