Bay Area college football preview: Cal kick-starts Tosh Lupoi era with renewed rivalry game vs. UCLA

The Bears and the Bruins will meet for the 95th time in their storied 93-year-old West Coast rivalry, restoring Cal's tradition of the Joe Roth Memorial Game.

"It's important to me that the traditions here … and the knowledge of the greats like Joe, that our team is educated on those," first-year head coach Tosh Lupoi said at his Tuesday game week news conference, recounting the full presentation he and the program gave to the players to pass down Roth's legacy.

"If we had the majority of the team representing the principles and values of Joe Roth, we're probably going to be in a position to win a lot of games. Being the fighter, strong character, and embodying what a Cal Bear is all about."

And fitting of the legacy of one of the great quarterbacks in Cal football history, the battle between Cal's Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and UCLA 's Nico Iamaleava will be the main feature - with the two Polynesian quarterbacks looking to set the tone in what are anticipated to be pivotal seasons for both programs.

On the Bears' side, sophomore Sagapolutele is trying to build on a flashy freshman season in which he threw for 3,454 yards and 18 touchdowns. With Lupoi bringing in what was ranked (per 247 Sports) as the 14th-best transfer portal cadre in the nation, and with Cal Athletics receiving a record $88.5 million in donations over the last year, the Bears step onto the field with new excitement and raised expectations.

On the Bruins' end, Iamaleava looks to bounce back after a disappointing first season in Los Angeles in which his team finished 3-9. Though it is debatable how much of the blame of UCLA's troubles last year falls on Iamaleava, there is pressure on the senior to lift the program out of its mediocrity, especially after his tumultuous exit from Tennessee a year prior. Like Lupoi, UCLA coach Bob Chesney will also make his coaching debut after an offseason in which he brought in 43 transfers along with 17 incoming freshmen.

The stakes are about as high as they can get for a season opener between two non-ranked teams. There is newness, there is history, anticipation and pressure. All of which will play out before what is expected to be a sold-out Memorial Stadium crowd.

Roth was an All-American QB for the Bears in 1975-76, who died of melanoma shortly after his second season; his jersey No. 12 remains the only one retired by the program. Cal will don its classic royal-blue Joe Roth jerseys and yellow helmets when they kick off their season at 7:30 p.m. PT.

Stanford welcomes national championship runner-ups: After notching new head coach Tavita Pritchard's first victory in their 37-27 win over Hawai'i in Week 0, the Cardinal will immediately face their toughest challenge of the season when the No. 7 Miami Hurricanes enter Stanford Stadium. Fresh off a playoff run that brought the Hurricanes one drive from winning a national championship, coach Mario Cristobal and his squad look to kick-start their road back up the mountain after reloading with one of the best transfer portal classes.

"Excited about this upcoming week because it is another week to learn about ourselves and where we can continue to grow against an outstanding opponent," Pritchard told reporters at his Monday presser.

The Stanford defense will look to limit quarterback Darian Mensah , the transfer now guiding the Miami offense after leading Duke to an ACC title last season, throwing for 3,973 passing yards and 34 touchdowns. Star sophomore wide receiver Malachi Toney will also pose problems for the Cardinal with his speed and versatility. The Hurricanes move Toney all across the formation, whether in the slot, in motion, or sometimes even in the backfield, which is how he earned a First-Team All-ACC honor in his freshman season last year.

On the other side of the ball, Stanford's new starting quarterback Davis Warren will try to follow up on his strong debut, in which he completed 22 of 34 passes for 310 yards and a touchdown. That might prove difficult for the sixth-year Michigan transfer going up against the talent of the Hurricanes' defense. Miami defensive linemen Ahmad Moten and Justin Scott will pose problems for a beat-up Stanford offensive line that will be without starting center Aiden Kilstrom, who suffered a lower-extremity injury in Week 0. Additionally, Stanford's starting right tackle Niki Prongos and guard Simone Pele are listed as questionable.

Stanford will take on the ACC title favorites under the Friday night lights at 6 p.m. PST.

Spartans look to bounce back: San Jose State heads to Eastern Michigan after a 42-26 loss to the No. 15 USC Trojans in Week 0.

Though the Spartans found themselves trailing 28-0 at halftime in the Coliseum, they found some encouraging signs in their 23-point fourth quarter, albeit achieving that against the Trojans' backups. New QB Luke Weaver led three touchdown drives for San Jose, completing 21 of 32 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns on the night, to go along with 42 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.

"Eastern Michigan's got a lot of confidence (after) a really good win in their first game. They're home, the momentum of winning - everything is going sky-high right now," Spartans coach Ken Niumatalolo told reporters Wednesday. The Eagles defeated Sacramento State 28-17 in their Week 0 win.

"We just got to make sure we prepare the best way we can. You go from playing USC, who everybody knows about them. Sometimes, the human nature side of it, people will look at social media and different things and (won't) give Eastern Michigan the respect they deserve. And also, we're San Jose State. We're not Ohio State or anybody, so we got to get ready for a battle against a team that won their first game."

Kenzo Fukuda is a freelance journalist born and raised in San Francisco. He has covered the Giants, Warriors and Valkyries since 2025, and previously covered Cal football and women's basketball from 2022-24. You can follow him on X at @kenzofuku.