Cal 2023 Football Schedule: Pac-12 Opener vs. Washington
Cal probably has the toughest intraconference schedule in the Pac-12 in 2023, and that schedule, which was announced Wednesday, includes an Oct. 28 home game against USC and a Nov. 25 road game against UCLA, which may be the Bears’ final games against those two longtime rivals for a long time.
The Bears' will open Pac-12 play against Washington on Sept. 23 in Seattle, and the Huskies are likely to be ranked high in preseason polls. The Big Game against Stanford again will not be the final game of the season, but will be the next-to-last game and is scheduled for Nov. 18 at Stanford.
Cal went 4-8 last season and faces nine teams that went to bowls in 2022.
The Bears’ Pac-12 opponents for next season were already known, but the dates of those games were announced Wednesday, and the Bears will go against three conference teams that feature transfers who played for Cal in 2022.
Cal’s nine-game conference schedule will include games against all five of the former North Division opponents – Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State and Stanford – and will also include games against Utah, USC, UCLA and Arizona State.
The Bears will not face Arizona or Colorado, which means the Bears will not get to face the Buffaloes in Deion Sanders’ first year as an FBS head coach. It also means defensive back Kaylin Moore, who transferred to Cal from Colorado, won't have to face his former team in 2023.
But the Bears will get to face a UCLA team that will feature two players who were starters for Cal in 2022 – wide receiver J.Michael Sturdivant and linebacker Femi Oladejo.
Cal's Nov. 25 game against UCLA as well as its Oct. 28 contest at USC will be the Bears' last games against the Los Angeles schools for a while, perhaps forever, as those two schools will join the Big Ten in 2024.
Cal will also face an Arizona State squad that will have four players who played for the Golden Bears this past season – offensive lineman Ben Coleman, running back DeCarlos Brooks, place-kicker Dario Longhetto, and long snapper Slater Zeller. The Bears will play ASU on Sept. 30.
Cal’s game against Oregon State, which is now the home of former Cal tight end Jermaine Terry II, is scheduled for Oct. 7.
The full Pac-12 schedule for all conference teams appears below the Cal schedule:
Cal’s 2023 schedule
Saturday, Sept. 2 – North Texas, at Denton, Texas – Cal will debut its new offense under offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, and quarterback Sam Jackson V, a transfer from TCU, is likely to make his debut as Cal’s quarterback. Cal’s new offensive line coach Mike Bloesch was at North Texas last season. The Mean Green will be part of the American Athletic Conference in 2023.
Saturday, Sept. 9 – Auburn, in Berkeley – This will be Cal’s first game ever against Auburn, an SEC team that went 5-7 last year and has a new head coach in Hugh Freeze, formerly the head coach at Liberty and Mississippi.
Saturday, Sept. 16 – Idaho, in Berkeley – Idaho is an FCS school that went 7-5 last season, including 6-2 in the Big Sky Conference.
Saturday, Sept. 23 -- Washington, at Seattle -- Michael Penix Jr. returns as the Huskies quarterback and he figures to be a Heisman contender.
Saturday, Sept. 30 -- Arizona State, at Berkeley -- Ben Coleman figures to be in the Sun Devils' starting offensive line after being the Bears' best offensive lineman last season. Dario Longhetto, who was Cal's kicker last season, is apt to be the Sun Devils kicker when the teams meet in 2023, and DeCarlos Brooks may carry the ball for ASU instead of Cal.
Saturday, Oct. 7 -- Oregon State, at Berkeley -- Cal and the Beavers traded tight ends in the transfer portal. Jermaine Terry II, Cal's starting tight end in 2022, is now in Corvalis, while former Oregon State tight end J.T. Byrne is now with Cal.
Saturday, Oct. 14 -- Utah, at Salt Lake City -- Quarterback Cameron Rising recently announced he is returning for the 2023 season, which means the Utes will contend for a third straight Pac-12 title. They went 12-0 at home over the past two seasons.
Saturday, Oct. 21 -- BYE
Saturday, Oct. 28 -- USC, at Berkeley -- Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams returns for the Trojans.
Saturday, Nov. 4 -- Oregon, at Eugene, Oregon -- Bo Nix is back at quarterback for a Ducks team that went 10-3 last year, including 7-2 in the conference. Cal running back Byron Cardwell was on the Ducks' roster last season.
Saturday, Nov. 11 -- Washington State, at Berkeley -- The Cougars lost a lot of players through the transfer portal but return quarterback Cameron Ward from team that went 7-6, including a victory over Cal.
Saturday, Nov. 18 -- Stanford, at Stanford -- The Bears will go against former Cal quarterback Troy Taylor, who is now the Cardinal's head coach.
Saturday, Nov. 25 -- UCLA, at Los Angeles -- Touted freshman Dante Moore could be the quarterback for the Bruins, and one of his targets will be J.Michael Sturdivant, who had a team-leading 65 receptions for Cal last season.
Friday, Dec. 1 -- Pac-12 championship game at Allegiant Field in Las Vegas
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Cover photo of J.Michael Sturdivant by Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports
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