One of the most intriguing Week 1 games is a rivalry renewed, with California hosting UCLA to kick off the 2026 college football season.
It’s no longer Pac-12 after dark, but this may embody the spirit of it given the stakes in this matchup. Both teams come in with new coaches − Toshu Lupoi at Cal and Bob Chesney at UCLA − that have already generated serious hype before playing a game, instilling belief in both sides they are in line for success out of the gate. A win in game No. 1 would validate it, while a loss would really set a fanbase back.
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Both teams have the pieces to make some noise, led by star quarterbacks in Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava. Given how the University of California rivals are meeting again, the stakes couldn’t be higher in what could be one of the best games of the season-opening weekend.
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele continues to play
Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele did fairly well in the first half but he did come back out of the locker at halftime with his ankles taped. He was sacked twice in the first half and was clearly had some discomfort in the final minutes of the first half.
Halftime: UCLA 24, Cal 17
Pac-12 after dark, anyone?
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The Bruins and Golden Bears are no longer conference foes, but this season opener has had every bit of the chaos that made their former home so infamous. Just when it looked like UCLA was about to pull away, Cal DB Kingston Lopa plucked the momentum — and a pass from Nico Iamaleava — out of the air. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele displayed his mettle with a three-play sequence for 87 yards and a touchdown with just 13 seconds left before the half to get the game within one possession.
But rather than run the clock out, Iamaleava heaved the ball to Mikey Matthews for the duo’s second big play of the night; this one got the Bruins all the way down to the 20-yard line, where Bob Ceshney decided to get three points with just six seconds left in the half.
The two teams both put up numbers on offense through the first two quarters, with UCLA having a slight edge in total yards with 302 vs. Cal’s 242. The real differentiator in this game, though has been the ground game. Almost all of Cal’s offensive production has been through the air while the Bruins have not only passed the ball well, they’ve also been running it through Cal’s front seven at will with 123 rushing yards compared to just 32 for the Golden Bears.
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Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele leads Cal touchdown drive right before halftime
Despite what appeared to be a rolled ankle, JKS showed exactly what makes him special as he led his offense 87 yards down the field in 38 seconds to capitalize on the late takeaway. Sagapolutele found Ian Strong on 3rd and 9 and dropped a dime downfield to his receiver, who made several Bruin defenders miss as he raced across midfield for a monster 49-yard gain.
JKS limped up the field as fast as he could and completed another big pass, this time a 30-yarder to Chase Hendricks as he stepped out of bounds at the 8 with 19 seconds left in the half. One play later, JKS rolled to his left and dropped the ball right in Mason Mini’s hands for the touchdown.
Cal’s Kingston Lopa intercepts Iamaleava in the red zone
These two quarterbacks have traded highlights all night, and now they exchange a lowlight right before the half. UCLA was in prime position at the Cal 27, but Kingston Lopa made a hell of a play, reading a break outside by Brian Rowe Jr. and jumping the route perfectly for the clutch pick just as Nico Iamaleava fired it to his receiver.
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The Golden Bears avoid what could’ve been disaster just before heading back into the locker room.
UCLA forces JKS fumble, takes over at the Cal 37
Sammy Omusino came screaming off the edge for a big sack on Sagapolutele, who held onto the ball a bit later than he should’ve in an effort to make a play. Instead, the sophomore QB fumbles, UCLA’s Amier Washington falls on it, and the Bruins are in business at the Cal 37-yard line with just over a minute to go before halftime.
UCLA scores on Wayne Knight rushing TD, extends lead over Cal to two possessions
The Bruins offense are rolling right now. Iamaleava started off the drive with a 33-yard bomb to Mikey Matthews on the first play to flip field position. He followed that up with a seven-yard designed run before connecting with Landon Ellis for another explosive play that left UCLA knocking on the door of the red zone. It was Wayne Knight who would cap off the drive with a rushing touchdown on 3rd and 2 from the 8.
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The Bruins lead Cal 21-10, and the momentum is slowly starting to shift in Berkeley.
Anthony Woods breaks out a big TD run for UCLA
The Bruins’ leading rusher from last year announced his arrival in 2026 in a big way. The fifth-year senior took the handoff up the left side into traffic for what looked like would be a modest gain, but he somehow found a way out of that scrum, cut back across the field 31 yards and dove into the endzone for the touchdown just as the defense had finally caught up to him.
UCLA takes a 14-10 lead at the 10:19 mark of the second quarter.
UCLA defense buckles down at goal line after costly penalties
Toshu Lupoi’s first big call as head coach appeared all but certain to pay off. On 4th and 2 from the 22, JKS tried dropping it into the streaking Ian Strong, but Scooter Jackson held onto the Bear receiver’s jersey as he tried to make the catch, resulting in yet another costly penalty for the Bruins as Cal set up shop at the 7-yard line.
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But UCLA’s defense held firm. Donavyn Pellot broke up a Sagapolutele pass intended for Taimane Purcell on first and goal, and Adam Mohammed was stuff for a four-yard loss on the next play. A false start on Purcell made it 3rd and goal from the 16. JKS connected with Carter Vargas for six yards to get back to the 10 and set up a successful 28-yard field goal from Towns McGough to take a 10-7 lead.
End of 1st quarter: UCLA 7, Cal 7
The Golden Bears are driving once again, this time by running at will all over Bruin front seven. Adam Mohammed has 19 yards on four carries in the current series, not including a 15-yard facemask penalty he drew from UCLA’s Scott Taylor. Carter Vargas got the ball on the final two snaps of the quarter and the Bears face 3rd and 5 from the UCLA 29-yard line to open the second.
UCLA responds with TD drive of their own to tie the game
Nico Iamaleava had something to say about JKS’ game-opening drive. The Bruins capitalized on a pair of chunk plays: a 20-yard rush from Brian Rowe Jr. to get into Cal territory and a screen pass from Iamaleava to Wayne Knight, who ran it 22 yards up the sideline before being knocked out of bounds at the 9-yard line to set up first and goal. Iamaleava took care of the rest from there as he took a keeper into the endzone for a rushing touchdown.
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Cal scores on opening drive
JKS is off to a fantastic start. The second-year phenom walked the Golden Bears down the field for a 10-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a 12-yard touchdown pass to Chase Hendricks. Sagapolutele completed five of six passes for 58 yards and the TD.
What TV channel is UCLA vs Cal on today?
The 2026 Week 1 game between UCLA and Cal will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Tom Hart (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst) will be on the call with Quint Kessenich as the sideline reporter.
Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app, which requires a valid cable login to access, and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
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REQUIRED READING: College football Re-Rank 1-138: Where all FBS teams sit ahead of 2026 season
UCLA vs Cal State time today
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Start time: 10:30 p.m. ET | 7:30 p.m. PT
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Location: California Memorial Stadium (Berkeley, California)
UCLA and Cal kicks off at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, Sept. 5 from California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California.
UCLA vs Cal picks, predictions, odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Tuesday, Sept. 1
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Moneyline: UCLA (-120); Cal (+100)
Prediction: Cal 24, UCLA 23
This game is a real toss-up and the winner is going to get so much hype. This one feels like it will be a close one, but the Golden Bears’ will have a strong home-field advantage that paves the way for the Lupoi era in Berkeley to begin 1-0.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cal vs UCLA football live updates: Score, results for California clash
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