With the beginning of fall camp at Clemson just a few weeks away, the start of the 2026 football season is inching ever so closer.
With that in mind, now is a good time to start diving into the opponents on the Tigers’ schedule.
2026 Schedule
- Sept. 5: at LSU
- Sept. 12: vs. Georgia Southern
- Sept. 19: vs. North Carolina
- Sept. 25 (Fri.): at Cal
- Oct. 3: vs. Miami
- Oct. 10: Open Date
- Oct. 17: vs. Charleston Southern
- Oct. 24: vs. Virginia Tech
- Oct. 31: at Florida State
- Nov. 7: at Syracuse
- Nov. 14: vs. Georgia Tech
- Nov. 20 (Fri.): at Duke
- Nov. 28: vs. South Carolina
Week 4: Cal (2025 Record 7-6)
Clemson travels out west in Week 4 for some late-night action against Cal. Even worse, this one is on a Friday night, meaning the Tigers travel to the West Coast on short rest.
This will be just the second time in history these two programs have faced each other, with Clemson beating the Bears 37-13 in the 1992 Citrus Bowl. This one might be a little tougher.
Tosh Lupoi enters his first season as head coach, and with Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele returning, he’s got his quarterback. Lupoi made sure to build around his star quarterback. He also brought in more than 30 transfers.
Sagapolutele was outstanding as a freshman in 2025, particularly late in the season. Over the final four games, he completed 68.1 percent of his passes with seven touchdown passes and no interceptions.
After losing one of its top wideouts, Jacob De Jesus, to the NFL, Cal went out and brought in some pass catchers out of the portal to ensure Sagapolutele has the weapons to throw to in the passing game. Ian Strong (Rutgers), Cooper Perry (Oregon), and Chase Hendricks (Ohio) were all signed during the offense, so there is no shortage of playmakers. Strong had 52 catches for the Scarlet Knights last year, with five scores.
Leading rusher Kendrick Raphael bolted for SMU, but Adam Mohammed was signed from Washington and Ashten Emory from UTEP to help replace the lost production. Not that the Bears did a whole lot of running in 2025. Only North Carolina had fewer rushing attempts per game. The 81.69 rushing yards per game were also the second-fewest in the country.
The question marks on this side of the ball reside on the offensive line. Cal averaged just 2.8 yards per carry a season ago, and opposing defenses lived in the backfield. Jimothy Lewis Jr. was signed from Mississippi State and should slot in at right tackle, opposite Fredrick Williams III, a redshirt sophomore, who is projected to start at left tackle.
The Cal defense arguably lost its best player when linebacker and leading tackler Cade Uluave transferred to BYU. Second leading tackler Justin Ferrelli actually transferred twice. Once to Clemson, then to Ole Miss. In fact, the Bears lost the top six tacklers from last years team.
The secondary got a facelift via the portal. Senior corner Daniel Harris Jr. comes in from Georgia, while Ricky Fletcher comes over from Ole Miss Marquis Groves-Killebrew transferred from Arizona.
Where this team really needs to improve is along the defensive line. Last season Cal was 100th in the nation in sacks and 102nd in tackles for loss. That just won’t get it done. Nate Burrell and Ashun Sheppard bookend the three-man defensive front, while Jericho Johnson anchors the middle at nose guard.
The Bears also need to better at some of the little things. They were flagged 108 times in 2025, with only three teams having more penalties.
Going out west on a short week is never ideal. Add in that Clemson is set to play Miami at home the following week in what could be a crucial contest for the ACC standings, and this could set up as a trap game, depending on how the first three weeks of the season play out.
One thing is certain, Tom Allen’s defense will be tested during the Tigers firs trip to Berkeley.