Cal’s new 2020 schedule updates

The California Golden Bears 2020 football schedule will look a bit different, that’s for sure. Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the Pac-12’s subsequent announcement of a conference-only schedule this season, Cal lost nonconference games against UNLV, TCU and Cal Poly in the opening three weeks of the season.

Now, according to multiple reports, the former season finale against UCLA has been moved up to September 19, the new season open date.

Originally scheduled for November 27, to close the season, the matchup against the UCLA Bruins is slated to open the season, tentatively.

While nothing is for sure, yet, as the Pac-12 is meeting with the 12 member university presidents and chancellors with an earliest date of news on Friday, it looks like it makes the most sense.

UCLA is also apparently moving their matchup against USC to Week 2 of the new season, meaning they’ll play against one another in September for the first time since 1945.

Playing a conference-only schedule makes sense, and it has now been reported it will be a 10-game season as opposed to a nine-game season, and that leaves Arizona or Colorado for Cal to add, which they will be reportedly adding the Wildcats.

Travel issues seem to be the biggest factor in adding schools and altering games, as a conference-only schedule makes sense, but starting with in-state foes makes even more sense. The limited travel between Pac-12 neighboring schools limits the chances of infection greater than flying or traveling to distant teams, at least at the start.

So, that may also mean the originally scheduled games against both USC (October 10) and Stanford (November 21) could both be moved up as well. Seeing that USC will likely be in action against UCLA on September 26, that would leave Stanford up for a Week 2 matchup, and free up USC for a Week 3 game against Cal.

Nothing is guaranteed yet, but at least that’s what we’ve seen reported.

We’ll know more once the Pac-12 announces anything further.