Just One Friday Football Game for Cal in 2026

When the 2026 ACC football schedule was announced in January it left the possibility that Cal would play three Friday night games.

It turns out the Bears will play just one game on Friday, based on the ACC announcement on Friday.

Cal knew in January that its September 25 ACC home opener against Clemson would be a Friday game. But two other games -- a road game against SMU on October 23 or 24, and a road game the following week against North Carolina State on October 30 or 31 – were left in limbo as games being considered for either Friday or Saturday placement.

The ACC decided that neither game would be played on Friday, leaving both as Saturday games, although the starting times will not be announced until May 27.

Playing a game on Friday is important because it exposes the program to a national television audience focused on one game, unlike the Saturday games, which are part of a barrage of games that day. Stars can be made on Friday night, which could be important for Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.

So the road game against SMU will be played on Saturday, October 24 and the road game against North Carolina State is scheduled for Saturday, October 31, which is Halloween.

The road game against SMU figures to be Cal’s toughest regular-season game of the season, since the Mustangs are considered contenders for the ACC title and are likely to be ranked in the preseason top-25 polls. (Cal does not face preseason ACC favorite Miami or likely top-25 team Louisville in 2026.)

However, the Friday home game against Clemson could be the one that defines Cal's season, especially since the national TV audience is focused on that game.

Cal played two Friday conference games last year, and the Bears won one of them, but both were close, tense affairs. Cal beat North Carolina 21-18 on Friday, October 17, but lost to Virginia Tech 42-24 in in double overtime on Friday, October 24.

Cal’s first game under new head coach Tosh Lupoi  is a nonconference home game against UCLA on September 5. The game is considered a virtual tossup at this stage, four months before the opener.

The first Friday night ACC game in 2026 will be Miami’s September 4 road game against Stanford.

2026 Cal Football Schedule

Sept. 5 – UCLA at Cal

Sept. 12 – Cal at Syracuse

Sept. 19 – Wagner at Cal

Sept. 25 – Clemson at Cal

Oct. 3 – Cal at UNLV

Oct. 10 - Virginia Tech at Cal

Oct. 17 - Wake Forest at Cal

Oct. 24 – Cal at SMU

Oct. 31 – Cal at NC State

Nov. 14 – Cal at Virginia

Nov. 21 – Stanford at Cal

Nov. 28 – Pittsburgh at Cal

Dec. 6 - ACC Championship (9 am, ESPN)