A new era in California Golden Bears football will be ushered in when the 2026 season kicks off with the head coaching debut of Tosh Lupoi. Cal hosts former Pac-12 rival UCLA in both teams’ season opener at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California, on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. PT.
Lupoi is a first-year head coach, but he’s certainly no first-timer on the sidelines. He’s back at his alma mater where his coaching career began as a defensive line coach in 2008. Now, he’s running the ship.
Advertisement
Prior to his recent hiring at Cal, he spent four years at Oregon as their defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. The former NFL defensive line coach spent time with the Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Lupoi brings the pedigree of a two-time national champion with Alabama and a renowned recruiter when it comes to talent.
He inherits a program that saw itself finish its second season in the ACC with a 7-6 overall record and a 4-4 mark in conference play. It was their first winning season since 2019, which earned a bowl game bid.
The Bears’ 2025 season ended with a 35-31 loss to Hawai’i in the Hawai’i Bowl. The program returns players who were on the wrong end of that close loss, and are coming back motivated. The Golden Bears also brought in transfers at key positions, some tied to Lupoi, which should have a big impact on the team’s overall performance.
Advertisement
There’s a buzz around Berkeley and its football program for 2026. Cal can definitely earn a second straight bowl appearance, but in question will be how much the team’s overall record improves, if at all.
A bevy of things have to happen for Cal to have another successful season that replicates, or even exceeds its previous season. And there’s a good chance that it can. Cal can really surprise teams that get caught sleeping, so don’t snooze on the Golden Bears. Here’s why:
1 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
Who has the best helmet in college football? Here’s a look at the 25 best the sport has to offer heading into the 2026 season.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch)
1 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
Who has the best helmet in college football? Here’s a look at the 25 best the sport has to offer heading into the 2026 season.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch)
2 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 25 OKLAHOMA. Oklahoma’s interlocking “OU” is synonymous with one of the most successful programs in college football history, a logo worn by the likes of Billy Sims, Lee Roy Selmon, Brian Bosworth and, more recently, Adrian Peterson and Baker Mayfield. When paired with a shiny crimson helmet, it’s one of the best looks in the sport.
(Kyle Ross, IMAGN IMAGES)
3 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 24 ALABAMA. A look synonymous with college football, Alabama has a simple yet beautifully done design with player numbers. Adorning Alabama helmets since the 1950s, the Crimson Tide haven’t changed their look much since then, and don’t need to. It makes every player stand out while not messing with tradition. A major flex is using the helmet as a logo and the number representing the total national championships, which is at 18 claimed titles. Some teams have done their own versions of adding player numbers to helmets, but it’s a design you always associate with the Crimson Tide.
(Jeff Hanisch, USA TODAY Sports)
4 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 23 WYOMING. The flagship university in the Cowboy State, fittingly, has a cowboy as its mascot and with it, an incredible, distinct logo — a silhouette of a cowboy riding a bucking horse. The image, Bucking Horse and Rider, is actually a registered trademark of the state of Wyoming. The university says it represents “the toughness, and the never-say-die spirit that is Wyoming” and, just as important, it looks awfully good on a helmet.
(Troy Babbitt, USA TODAY Sports)
5 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 22 BOISE STATE. The non-Power darling does a great job of using a great logo with an oversized look of the Bronco. Oversized logos on helmets usually look good, but this one stands out with how intense it is, especially how Boise State does a nice touch of really making the eye stand out. It could use it on both sides, but it still comes across perfectly on one. No matter what color the helmet or decal is, it works every single time. It’s intense and fierce, matching the tenacity that comes with the blue turf.
(Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports)
6 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 21 WASHINGTON STATE. Wazzu has one of the best logos in college sports, a cougar head created by Randall Johnson in 1936 that spells out the school’s initials, “WSU.” It has become an iconic symbol for the university and in the broader college football world, thanks in some part to Ol’ Crimson, a Washington State flag that has been in the background of every episode of “College GameDay” since 2003.
(Petre Thomas, IMAGN IMAGES)
7 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 20 NEBRASKA. The Cornhuskers became a powerhouse when it added the block “N,” and while there’s nothing special about it, the helmet still is among the most recognizable. Nebraska has tried different variations with black that have mostly looked decent, but it further proves there is no need to mess with good ol’ reliable.
(Jeff Hanisch, IMAGN IMAGES)
8 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 19 PENN STATE. The Nittany Lions’ lids are proudly plain, with a dark blue stripe down the middle marking the only feature other than white on the helmet itself. For years, they defined Penn State’s no-frills approach under Joe Paterno. As part of the team’s overall uniform, they work exceptionally well, but by itself as a helmet, it’s not as remarkable. There’s a fine line between iconic and boring and these lean just a little too close to the latter.
(Rich Barnes, IMAGN IMAGES)
9 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 18 UTAH. When you have two primary logos, it’s important to choose the best looking one for the helmet. Luckily, you can’t go wrong with both the feather and retro “UU” logos, allowing Utah to go a plethora of ways with combinations that always come out clean. Plus, the Rose Bowl helmets with the rose interlocked with the logo is one of the best special editions ever seen. Outside of that, the Utes haven’t been afraid to try out bold designs, and they are executed to a tee each time.
(Rob Gray, USA TODAY Sports)
10 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 17 ARIZONA STATE. The Sun Devils already have one of the more distinct color combinations in college athletics, with maroon and gold, and while their partnership with Adidas has occasionally made their uniforms a bit all-over-the-place at times, their best looks are some of the best in the country. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with their trident helmets, they’d be much higher on this list if they made a full-time move back to Sparky the Sun Devil gracing their lids.
(Brett Davis, USA TODAY Sports)
11 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 16 PITT. The Panthers have undergone a series of cosmetic changes over the past 30 years, with their helmets going from the underappreciated “DinoCat” of the Larry Fitzgerald years to the wholly forgettable and uninspired block “PITT” logo. In 2015, the program wisely switched back to the Pitt script that was associated with some of the school’s best teams and players. Pairing it with the traditional blue-and-yellow color scheme makes it that much nicer.
(Charles LeClaire, IMAGN IMAGES)
12 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 15 HAWAII. While many schools incorporate the shape of their state, it’s hard to beat Hawai’i. The Rainbow Warriors proudly display their home with all eight Hawaiian islands adorning one side of the helmet, standing out regardless of the color. The stripe is also unique with feathers that pay homage to the islands’ long legacy of chiefs and warriors. There is no state like the Aloha State, and Hawai’i uses it to its advantage.
(James Snook, USA TODAY Sports)
13 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 14 COLORADO. Colorado’s black-and-gold color scheme absolutely pops, especially on the team’s gold helmets on characteristically sunny days in Boulder. The mascot silhouette with an interlocking CU imposed over it is a clean look. It’s enough to make you forgive that the Buffs’ mascot is a bison, not a buffalo.
(Ralph Freso, Getty Images)
14 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 13 SAN DIEGO STATE. After decades of putting the school’s logo or nickname onto its helmets, San Diego State fully leaned into its identity as the Aztecs and produced one of the most memorable lids in the sport. San Diego State’s shiny red helmets feature the unmistakable design of the Aztec sun stone, which blends in just enough with the rest of the helmet that it’s not too distracting or obnoxious.
(James Snook, IMAGN IMAGES)
15 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 12 MIAMI. Let Miami show you how a simple touch can turn into a cultural phenomenon. The distinctive green and orange “U” logo took off as the Hurricanes became a powerhouse, so much so Miami can also be referred to as just “The U” with the hand signal to go along with it. There have been some interesting modern designs Miami has done with it, but the classic look with the white helmet reigns supreme.
(Mark J. Rebilas, IMAGN IMAGES)
16 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 11 FLORIDA. Unlike other SEC powerhouses, the Gators haven’t had a consistent helmet design over the past 70 years, going from numbers on the side of the helmet to a basic F (which was worn during Steve Spurrier’s Heisman Trophy winning 1966 season) to some more, um, regrettable choices. In 1979, though, coach Charley Pell introduced a helmet ahead of his first season that has stood the test of time: an orange lid with a white-and-blue stripe down the middle and “Gators” spelled out in script on the sides. Despite the program’s recent struggles, it’s a look that has become synonymous with some of the best teams and most explosive offenses in the sport’s history.
(Maria Lysaker, IMAGN IMAGES)
17 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 10 UCLA. The Bruins struck literal gold in the 1970s when it introduced the script UCLA logo that has gotten some updates over time, but has never faded in beauty. It was so good it wasn’t even the same shade as the school’s official colors. Now it’s more aligned, and the switch to Jordan Brand introduced some really golden shells that shine no matter the time of the day. It perfectly aligns with the stunning views of the Rose Bowl.
(Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports)
18 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 9 TULANE. In their history, the Green Wave have never stuck with one design too terribly long. If they’re wise, they won’t veer away from what they’ve got now. In 2017, and after wearing it on their helmet much of the 2016 season, the university adopted the “Angry Wave” as the primary athletic mark. Since then, Tulane has had one of the more unique and eye-popping helmets in the sport, a mark that pops that much more with the school’s color scheme of green, sky blue and white. Though with those colors, the Green Wave have seldom had a bad-looking uniform.
(Tommy Gilligan, USA TODAY Sports)
19 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 8 USC. The Trojan warriors don the Trojan head, a logo that technically isn’t an official one but so perfectly done that it would be impossible to remove. The details of the Trojan headpiece are great on a small scale, making great harmony with the cardinal helmet. Even when USC updated its Trojan logo, it still kept this one that’s been around since the 1970s. It holds such high regard that coach Lincoln Riley mandates “the decal should be earned, not just given.”
(Rick Osentoski, USA TODAY Sports)
20 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 7 LSU. If this were a ranking of college football uniforms, the Tigers would quite possibly be at the very top. Still, their helmet by itself isn’t too bad, either. Though LSU had some variation of a tiger head and the school’s name on their helmets for years, it added a purple facemask in 1980 and smartly hasn’t deviated since. Though the two things are unrelated, the helmet has been worn for the Tigers’ national championships in 2003, 2007 and 2019.
(Denny Medley, USA TODAY Sports)
21 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 6 OREGON. The uniform pioneers, there is no true primary helmet for Oregon, but that’s fine because just about every innovate design Nike gives them hits hard. The Ducks have found a good blend of tradition (the classic “O”) and modernization with the wings, a look that has been so stunning other teams have tried to copy it since then. Whether it’s marble, chrome, an eggshell or a shiny green, Oregon has proved there is no such thing as too many helmets.
(James Snook, IMAGN IMAGES)
22 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 5 TEXAS. Everything’s bigger in Texas — except the logo gracing the helmet of the football team at the state’s flagship university. It’s for the better, too. Texas’ white helmets with an understated silhouette of a longhorn cattle in burnt orange is a beautiful ode to simplicity. There’s a reason why one of the most recognizable programs in the sport has been wearing some variation of these since the early 1960s.
(Maria Lysaker, USA TODAY Sports)
23 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 4 FLORIDA STATE. Bobby Bowden is a legend in Tallahassee, and one of the lasting impacts was him putting the Seminole spear on the helmet. It truly encapsulates the Seminole nickname, while being an outstanding and innovative design that easily recognizable in college football, perhaps even more than the Chief Osceola logo. Mix that with the tomahawk stickers and you easily have of the best helmets in the sport.
(Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE, IMAGN IMAGES)
24 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 3 OHIO STATE. The Buckeyes’ helmet on its own is perfectly fine — a silver lid with a white, black and scarlet stripe down the middle. What truly separates these, though, are what go with the helmet. As the story goes, in 1968, Ohio State trainer Ernie Biggs devised a system to award players helmet stickers that resembled buckeye leaves. That year, the Buckeyes went undefeated and won the national championship. The tradition, like the stickers, stuck and in the decades since, programs around the country have been copying them. None of them look better than the original, though.
(Vincent Carchietta, USA TODAY Sports)
25 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 2 NOTRE DAME. No decal, no problem. Let the gold shine for Notre Dame with their golden domes that pay homage to the administration building on campus. Is it plain? Yes, but they stand out above so many other programs, and they went up a notch in 2011 when they literally became gold, shining gorgeously in the sun or the stadium lights. The Fighting Irish use the Shamrock Series to get some fun looks, but you really cannot go wrong with the sensational gold helmets.
(Michael Caterina, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
26 / 26
Who has the best helmet in college football? We rank the top 25
NO. 1 MICHIGAN. Shortly after Fritz Crisler was hired as Michigan’s head coach in 1938, he left a mark that would be as lasting as the two Big Ten championships and one national championship he’d help the Wolverines win over the course of his tenure. The newly arrived coach introduced a winged helmet, similar to one he had designed and put into place at his previous stop, Princeton. As he saw it, the winged design would allow halfbacks to find open receivers down the field. Not only did it work — Michigan went 71-16-3 under Crisler — but he birthed what remains the best-looking helmet in the country nearly 90 years later.
(Rick Osentoski, USA TODAY Sports)
Sophomore quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele plays like a Heisman candidate
One reason there’s a lot of excitement around Cal is due to its young, rising star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. He’s only a sophomore, but looks to be the next great quarterback coming out of Cal.
Advertisement
When you think Fernando Mendoza, Jared Goff, Aaron Rodgers, Kyle Boller, Troy Taylor, think Sagapolutele.
For starters, he was the second true freshman in program history to be named starter. How’d he do?
Sagapolutele is coming off a 2025 season in which he completed 316 of 492 passes for 3,454 yards with 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions while starting all 13 games.
His total completions, attempts and passing yards in a season were second-highest by a Cal freshman quarterback. Goff, who went on to become the No. 1 pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, set those records in 2013.
High expectations for sure, but that’s what it’s going to take. But not to worry, he’s surrounded by experienced coaches to help guide him.
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele aims to build off a successful freshman season of college football.
Coaching staff experience
Lupoi has been a part of great coaching staffs under Steve Sarkisian at Washington, Nick Saban at Alabama and Dan Lanning at Oregon. He’s worked with future NFL first-round picks including DE Jonathan Allen, LB Reuben Foster, S Minkah Fitzpatrick, NT Daron Payne and LB Rashaan Evans.
Advertisement
Not only does Lupoi bring his NFL experience, but his coaching staff does, too. Lupoi knows how important a strong coaching staff is to a winning culture and program. So he surrounded his players with coaches who’ve been at the highest level.
His offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville spent the last three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the assistant quarterbacks coach working with Pro Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield in a 2025 campaign in which he set career highs in completions (407), passing yards (4,500), passing touchdowns (41), completion percentage (71.4%) and passer rating (106.8). Somerville will be a key component in Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele taking the next leap as a quarterback.
Michael Hutchings is Cal’s new defensive coordinator after three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, the last two of which he served as the team’s safeties coach. He helped the Vikings defense allow the second-fewest passing touchdowns in the league in 2025.
Lupoi called on former NFL wide receiver Ike Hilliard to lead his wide receivers room. Hilliard is former first-round draft pick who went on to have a 12-year NFL career and participated in Super Bowl XXXV as a player.
Advertisement
Hilliard coached 13 NFL seasons with multiple different franchises, instructing NFL receivers to six 1,000-yard seasons and four NFL teams top-10 passing yards seasons (Washington 2014, 2016, 2017; Atlanta 2024).
The coaching staff is stacked.
Lupoi brought extra baggage with him
Another reason that Cal will be good this season is that Lupoi can recruit. He’s one of the best in the business. He worked the transfer portal class this summer and landed talent from around the nation, including nine players who were on rosters of teams in the 2025 College Football Playoff.
They added a mix of defensive stars and offensive weapons for Sagapolutele.
Advertisement
Cal’s 2026 transfer portal class ranked as high as 14th nationally, and third-best in the ACC, according to 247Sports.
Lupoi left Oregon and took four players with him: defensive back Kingston Lopa, inside linebacker Kamar Mothudi, defensive lineman Jericho Johnson and wide receiver Cooper Perry.
Other transfers included cornerbacks Ricky Fletcher (Ole Miss) and Daniel Harris (Georgia), inside linebacker Tristan Jernigan (Texas A&M), outside linebacker Solomon Williams (Texas A&M) and long snapper David Bird, who’s returning to Cal for his second stint from Alabama.
The Bears also added running back Adam Mohammed (Washington), tight end Dorian Thomas (New Mexico) and a couple of standout wide receivers, Ian Strong (Rutgers) and Chase Hendricks (Ohio), through the portal as well.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Three reasons why Cal football will be better than you think
