UCLA vs California Prediction: Odds, expert picks, team and player news, betting trends, and stats

All eyes will be on the West Coast Saturday night when UCLA visits California for a non-conference battle between two teams expected to vastly improve. California signed Tosh Lupoi as the next head coach after calling the defense for Oregon and UCLA added Bob Chesney from James Madison to lead the Bruins rebuild.

After starting the season 0-3 last year, UCLA signaled change and fired head coach Deshaun Foster. The Bruins went 3-1 over the next four games, but ended the season on a five-game losing streak. QB Nico Iamaleava is back (17 total TDs, 7 INT) and UCLA added a ton of James Madison and P4 transfers to not only the offense, but the defense. Chesney took James Madison to the College Football Playoff as a 12 seed last year and should take UCLA to at least bowl eligibility in his debut season.

California had a successful season in 2025 making a bowl game, but losing on Christmas Eve to Hawaii in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl (35-31). The highlight of the year was Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele's success as a freshman and how he finished the year with 314.7 passing yards per game and nine total touchdowns to zero interceptions. Cal added a ton of talent at running back, receiver, and all over the defense bringing in transfers from Oregon via Lupoi, plus Ole Miss, Georgia, and more. It's safe to say both teams reloaded in the first year with new head coaches.

Let’s dive into the schools on both sides of the ball, look at a few key players, and see where the numbers take us.

Game Details and How to Watch UCLA vs California

• Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026
• Time: 10:30 PM Eastern
• Site: California Memorial Stadium
• City: Berkely, CA
• TV/Streaming: ESPN

Game Odds for UCLA vs California

The latest odds as of Wednesday courtesy of DraftKings:

• Moneyline: UCLA Bruins (-125), California Golden Bears (+105)
• Spread: UCLA -2.5 (-105)
• Total: 53.5 points

Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the college football schedule!

UCLA Bruins

Head Coach: Bob Chesney
2025 Record: 3-9 (3-6)
Offensive Points Per Game: 18.2 (121st)
Defensive Points Per Game: 33.4 (119th)
2025 Strength of Schedule: 5th
2026 Strength of Schedule: 39th

The UCLA Bruins Offense:

UCLA had one of the worst offenses in the country last season and P4. The Bruins averaged 18.2 points pee game (121st) and scored 14 or fewer points in seven of 12 games. The Bruins entire season was built on a three-game winning streak following the firing of head coach Deshaun Foster, UCLA started with an upset over No. 7 Penn State (42-37), then wins against Michigan State (38-13) and Maryland (20-17) highlighted the season before five consecutive losses to end the season. Nothing could have gotten worse than last year. UCLA brings in a staff from James Madison (JMU) led by Head Coach Bob Chesney and landed a ton of transfers like RB Wayne Knight (1,373 yards, 9 TDs) and WR Landon Ellis (624 yards, 5 TDs) from JMU, plus WR Leland Smith (688 yards, 3TDs) from San Jose State. The UCLA offense could be night and day depending on one player in particular….

UCLA Player to Watch on Offense: QB Nico Iamaleava

It didn't seem lukewarm much of anything went right in Nico Iamaleava's first season with UCLA. Iamaleava finished the year with 1,928 passing yards, 13 passing touchdowns to seven interceptions. He added 505 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 112 carries. His passing production in 2025 with UCLA was a far cry from what he didn't in 2024 with Tennessee when the Vols made the College Football Playoff and lost in the first round to the eventual National Champion (Ohio State). Iamaleava could choose to go pro after this season or continue his college career for one more year after this season. With this season marking his fourth coach in three years, expect the Iamaleava experience to be an up and down one.

The UCLA Bruins Defense:

UCLA's defense landed transfers from James Madison, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Utah, plus a few more. The Bruins gave up 29, 37, 48, and 56 points in their four ranked games last year and 28 or more points in nine of 12 games. The Bruins are expected to start at least four former James Madison players, and that 2025 Dukes defense had 36 sacks, while UCLA was bottom 10 in the country with 10 sacks in 12 games! The Bruins also had four interceptions as a team. It couldn't get any worse stastically for UCLA last year, so expect the Bruins to improve with Chesney as the coach.

UCLA Player to Watch on Defense: LB Sammy Omosigho

One of the transfers that will start Week 1 is LB Sammy Omosigho from Oklahoma. He spent the past three seasons there and he's been a contributor in the past two with 90 total tackles, four passes defended, 2.0 sacks, and a forced fumble in 2024 and 2025. Omosigho recorded at least five tackles in six games last year and three times in 2024. He will be in a dogfight to lead UCLA in tackles this season with all of the incoming talent.

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California Golden Bears

Head Coach: Tosh Lupoi
2025 Record: 7-6 (4-4)
Offensive Points Per Game: 24.5 (81st)
Defensive Points Per Game: 29.2 (87th)
2025 Strength of Schedule: 79th
2026 Strength of Schedule: 61st

The California Golden Bears Offense:

After a promising finish to the year under QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (9 TDs, 0 INTs through 4 games), the Godlen Bears added a pehora of talent around him. Cal signed RB Adam Mohammed from Washington (523 yards, 5 TDs), WR Ian Strong from Rutgers (762 yards, 5 TDs), WR Chase Hendricks from Ohio (1,037 yards, 7 TDs), WR Cooper Perry from Oregon (10 rec, 25 yards), and TE Dorian Thomas from New Mexico (560 yards, 4 TDs). The Golden Bears even reloaded on the offensive line after losing four starters. This team will look totally different than last year outside of QB Sagapolutele.

California Player to Watch on Offense: QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (JKS) threw an astounding 492 passes as a freshman with Cal and completed 64.2% for 3,454 yards, and 18 touchdowns to 9 interceptions. JKS ended the year on a heater, throwing for 323, 269, 330, and 337 passing yards over the last four games with a combined nine touchdowns and no interceptions. He also threw the ball 39 times or more in those four games, so it will be interesting to see his development this season with a new head coach, but he was promising last year and the Golden Bears added a ton of talent around him.

The California Golden Bears Defense:

California lost nine of its past 12 tacklers from a year ago, but added some pretty good talent to overcome those losses. The Golden Bears signed Daniel Harris (Georgia), Ricky Fletcher (Ole Miss), and Kingston Lopa (Oregon) which are all expected to be key contributors in the secondary. California added seven transfers on the defensive line, including Jericho Johnson (Oregon) and three at linebacker to overhaul the front seven. Head Coach Tosh Lupoi was the Oregon Ducks defensive coordinator and linebackers coach since 2022, so the Bears should take a step forward on defense with Lupoi now the coach (29.2 PPG).

California Player to Watch on Defense: DB Aiden Manutai

One of the returnees from last year's squad is safety Aiden Manutai. As a freshman, Manutai registered 44 total tackles, one interception, and two pass deflections. The Golden Bears as a team had eight interceptions, but five of them came from Hezekiah Masses, who is now a cornerback with the Las Vegas Raiders. Entering 2026, California secondary as added Rickey Fletcher (Ole Miss), Kingston Lopa (Oregon), Daniel Harris (Georgia) and return Isaiah Crosby (24 tackles, 3 PD), and Jasiah Wagoner (29 tackles). This secondary may not have a lot of starting experience, but they could have a better year, as should Manutai in his sophomore season under Coach Lupoi's leadership.

UCLA and California Team Stats, Betting Trends

• UCLA was 4-8 ATS last season
• California was 5-8 ATS last season
• UCLA was 6-6 to the Over last season
• California was 6-6-1 to the Over last season
• UCLA was 2-4 ATS on the road last year
• California was 4-4 ATS as an underdog last season
• UCLA was an NCAA-worst 0-4 ATS as a favorite last season
• UCLA was 4-2 to the Under on the road last season
• California was 3-2-1 to the Under as a home team last season

Rotoworld Best Bets

Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans the first half Under in UCLA at Cal:

"This will be a tough game to bet with all of the unknown factors. Both teams have new head coaches, new philosophies, they both bring back their quarterbacks, added talent all around the running back and receiver rooms, plus overhauled the offensive line and defenses. There is a ton of former James Madison and Oregon players in this game, so there shouldn't be much of a talent drop off, if it all for either team.

This feels like a game with a slow start and a higher-scoring second-half. I could see both teams playing it safe and the defenses showing up and showing out. Cal and UCLA of course have significant upgrades on offense, but more so defense. I will keep an eye out for the first half Under when it's released and see if it's worth it. I'd be aiming for something 24.5 or better to play an Under."

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