Recent results of the teams on Cal’s 2026 schedule suggest Cal’s schedule so far was more difficult than expected in preseason. 

But the results also indicate that the Bears’ final three games provide a chance to finish on a high note.

Cal has a bye this weekend, and it will take a three-game losing streak and 3-6 record (2-4 in the ACC) into next Saturday’s road game against Virginia.

Nine of Cal’s 12 2026 opponents played this weekend, and they went 4-4 (not including UNLV’s late game Saturday).  But for the season, Cal’s opponents have a 51-30 record overall and 23-18 in the ACC.

However, Cal’s three remaining opponents – Virginia (4-5, 2-4 ACC), Stanford (4-5, 2-4 ACC) and Pitt (6-3, 3-3 ACC) – have a combined 14-13 overall record and are just 7-11 in ACC games. None of Cal's final three opponents played this weekend.

Here is how Cal's 2026 opponent fared this weekend:

UCLA (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) – Beat Cal 45-24 on September 5 in Berkeley

Saturday result: UCLA 34, Minnesota 20

The eighth-ranked Bruins remained unbeaten, and for the past four games they have done it with their No. 2 quarterback, Ty Dieffenbach, as the starter. He completed just eight passes against the Gophers but threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns.  He tossed 75-yard touchdown passes to Aidan Mizell on UCLA’s first two offensive plays of the second half.  UCLA, the biggest surprise in college football this season under new head coach Bob Chesney, does not face Indiana or Ohio State as it moves toward a Big Ten title game.

Syracuse (4-5, 2-5 ACC) – Lost to Cal 21-18 on September 12 in Syracuse

Saturday result: Clemson 18, Syracuse 13

After upsetting SMU last week, Syracuse failed to make it two in a row despite having more offensive yardage and more first downs than Clemson. Orange quarterback Steve Angeli threw 40 passes but completed only 18 of them. Syracuse committed two turnovers and both were costly, one resulting in a Clemson touchdown and the other stopping a Syracuse drive that got to the Clemson 3-yard line in the fourth quarter.

Wagner (2-8, 1-4 Northeast Conference) – Lost to Cal 49-7 on September 19 in Berkeley

Saturday result: Wagner 33, Mercyhurst 28

Wagner ended a seven-game losing streak and got its first conference win by hanging on to beat another FCS team Mercyhurst, which slipped to 1-9.

Clemson (6-3, 4-2 ACC) – Defeated Cal 24-10 on September 25 in Berkeley

Saturday result: Clemson 18, Syracuse 13

Clemson used two pivotal takeaways to win its second straight game and keep alive a chance to reach the ACC title game. Jaheim Lawson returned a Steve Angeli fumble 22 yards for a touchdown that gave Clemson an 18-6 lead in the third quarter, and Ashton Hampton intercepted an Angeli pass in the end zone in the fourth quarter after Syracuse had reached to Tigers’ 3-yard line.

UNLV (5-3, 3-1 Mountain West) – Beat Cal 39-31 on October 3 in Las Vegas

Saturday result: UNLV played Wyoming Saturday night

UNLV played a pivotal Mountain West game against Wyoming on Saturday night that started at 7:30 p.m. Pacific time.

Virginia Tech (6-3,3-3 ACC) – Lost to Cal 25-20 on Saturday, October 10 in Berkeley

Friday result: SMU 51, Virginia Tech 28

Hokies running back Jeffrey Overton Jr. rushed for 123 yards and Virginia Tech rolled up 417 yards of offense, but it was not nearly enough even though Virginia Tech was coming off a bye. The Hokies trailed 20-14 in the second quarter, but SMU then scored 24 unanswered points to halt the Hokies two-game win streak and eliminate them from ACC title contention.

Wake Forest (8-1, 5-1 ACC) – Beat Cal 41-7 on Saturday, October 13 in Berkeley

Saturday result: Wake Forest 77, Merrimack 0

The 16th-ranked Demon Deacons won their sixth straight game, rolled up 730 yards of offense and set a modern-day school record for points in a game. FCS-level Merrimack did not present a challenge even though Steele Pizzella was Wake Forest’s starting quarterback.  Regular Deacons starting quarterback Gio Lopez sat out the game with an injury, but likely will return for Wake Forest’s game next week at SMU, which is 12-0 in ACC home games since joining the ACC in 2024. Wake Forest has outscored its last five opponents by a combined margin of 264-31. (By the way, Merrimack beat Wagner this season.)

SMU (7-2, 5-2 ACC) – Beat Cal 59-20 on October 24 in Dallas

Friday result: SMU 51, Virginia Tech 28

The Mustangs bounced back from their loss to Syracuse and kept alive their hopes of reaching the ACC title game by getting a season-high 569 yards of offense against Virginia Tech. Quarterback Kevin Jennings passed for 350 yards and four touchdowns with three of those scoring passes going to Yamir Knight. SMU is now 12-0 in ACC home games since joining the conference in 2024.

North Carolina State (4-5, 2-4 ACC) – Beat Cal 31-10 on  October 31 in Raleigh, North Carolina

Saturday result: Duke 41, North Carolina State 3

After scoring 31 points against Cal last week, the Wolfpack failed to score a touchdown against Duke, which held a 31-3 lead at halftime. NC State had just 217 yards of offense, and quarterback CJ Bailey managed just 123 passing yards and minus-6 rushing yards. NC State’s only win in the past four games came against Cal.

Virginia (4-5, 2-4 ACC) -- Hosts Cal on Saturday, November 14

Saturday result: Like Cal, Virginia had a bye this week.

The Cavaliers have lost three games in a row, albeit it against three of the best ACC teams – SMU, Duke and Wake Forest. The Cavaliers will need the extra time to recover from last week’s 51-7 loss to Wake Forest

ESPN Analytics Prediction: Virginia has an 86.7% chance of beating Cal

Stanford (4-5, 2-4 ACC) -- Faces Cal on Saturday, November 21 in Berkeley

ESPN Analytics Prediction: Cal has a 64.5% chance of beating Stanford

Saturday result: Stanford had a bye this week

The Cardinal is 0-4 on the road heading into next Saturday’s road game against Virginia Tech and the November 21 game against Cal in Berkeley.

Pitt (6-3, 3-3 ACC) -- Faces Cal on Saturday, November 8 in Berkeley

ESPN Analytics Prediction: Pitt has an 79.5% chance of beating Cal

Saturday’s result: Pitt had a bye this week

Pitt had been 0-3 since the season-ending injury to quarterback Mason Heintschel before beating Georgia Tech behind quarterback Holden Geriner last week. Pitt faces Florida State on the road on Friday.

• Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. 

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