Clemson‘s (2-1) season and the Dabo Swinney era wouldn’t have been over with a loss to North Carolina, but it wouldn’t have been in good shape. The Tigers never led last week at home against the Tar Heels for close to 55 minutes, and then …
Two late touchdowns later, Clemson won 28-20, and now that has to serve as a spark to relight the fire. The problem is that long trips to Cal (2-1) tend to be a problem for ACC teams from the East Coast.
A Cal win would be all about Clemson’s loss, but it would set the tone for a potentially great run over the next few weeks under new head coach Tosh Lupoi.
Clemson vs Cal: Quick Hits
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This is only the second time the two programs have met. Clemson beat Cal 37-31 at the end of the 1991 season in the Citrus Bowl.
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As if there hasn’t been enough drama around the Clemson program, who’s up next? Miami. However, that starts a run of three straight home games.
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Cal beat Syracuse on the road, and this starts a run of three straight ACC home games, with a trip to UNLV next week to break it up.
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How To Watch Clemson vs Cal
Date: Friday, September 25, 2026
Game Time: 9:30 PM ET
TV: ESPN
Location: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CA
– Week 4 Schedule & Predictions
Why Clemson Will Win
Did the Tigers finally find their running game? Most of the big runs against North Carolina came in the final few minutes, but the attack worked when it had to. Now it gets to go against a Cal defense that was fine against Syracuse and Wagner, but got pounded on by UCLA in the second half of the season opener.
Young starting quarterback Tait Reynolds can move, Gideon Davidson is dangerous when he gets room to move, and Cal’s defensive line isn’t doing anything to get into the backfield.
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Why Cal Will Win
Clemson can’t come up with a third down conversion. It came up with just one in the loss to LSU, two against Georgia Southern, and struggled against North Carolina last week. Part of the problem is an offensive line that’s allowed more tackles for loss than any team in college football.
Cal might not have a big-time pass rush, but it’ll start to bring the heat a little more than it did in the first few games.
Clemson vs Cal Prediction, Betting Lines
Last year it was SMU making the trip to Berkeley with a spot in the ACC Championship on the line. It lost. North Carolina made the trip, too, and it lost. So did Minnesota.
It’ll be well past midnight Clemson time when the game is deep into the second half. 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.)
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Cal 26, Clemson 24
Latest Consensus Line: Clemson -1.5, o/u: 50.5
ATS Confidence (out of 5): 2
Must See Rating (out of 5): 3.5
Consensus line based on BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
