National Analysts Make Picks for Clemson vs. Cal
By: Gavin Oliver September 25, 2026

Clemson will play a conference game on the West Coast for the first time in school history tonight, when the Tigers (2-1, 1-0 ACC) face the Cal Golden Bears (2-1, 1-0) at Cal Memorial Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, with Clemson a 1.5-point favorite according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

A number of national analysts made their predictions for tonight’s game, which marks only the second all-time meeting between Clemson and Cal.

Pete Fiutak of College Football News (CFN) picked Cal to win against Clemson, predicting a final score of 26-24 in favor of the Golden Bears.

“It’ll be well past midnight Clemson time when the game is deep into the second half,” Fiutak wrote. “Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and the midrange passing game will be sharp, the Bear defense will hold up with three takeaways – Kingston Lopa leads the nation with five interceptions – and the ACC After Dark game will be fun until the end. (Even if half of America is sleeping.)”

A panel of CFN experts made their picks for Clemson-Cal, and Cal is the consensus pick. Eight of the experts picked Cal, while six picked Clemson.

Bleacher Report also picked Cal to win by a final score of 30-23.

VSiN analyst Adam Burke picked Clemson (at a pick’em) to win against Cal.

“It is an ugly bet in some respects and you could make a case for both teams, but Cal’s statistical performance in their two FBS games does raise a ton of performance concerns,” Burke wrote. “Clemson might be showing some signs of getting back on track, but the defense, if nothing else, is the best unit on the field in this game. And, as they say, defense travels.”

ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives Clemson a 60.4% chance to win.

The lone previous meeting between Clemson and Cal came in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day in 1992, a 37-13 victory for the Golden Bears.

The game will be Clemson’s fourth all-time in the Golden State, joining road games at Pacific in 1951 and USC in 1966 in addition to Clemson’s victory over Alabama in Santa Clara to secure the national championship for the 2018 season.