Cal Uniform Schedule 2026: Every Jersey and When the Golden Bears Wear It

Cal opened the Tosh Lupoi era by pulling the single best uniform in its closet out of storage, and the season has been about blue and gold ever since. This is the full Cal 2026 uniform schedule: the blue home set, the white road set, the Joe Roth throwback that came back for UCLA, the new Grateful Dead helmet Cal revealed for the Wake Forest game on October 17, and a week-by-week outlook for all twelve games. We update this page as each combination is confirmed.

The Cal 2026 Uniform Sets

Everything here is Nike, and the base jerseys date to the 2024 redesign that stripped out the Sather Stripe Cal had carried for a decade and replaced it with plain shoulder striping pulled straight from the program's older sets. There is one new piece of real estate on the 2026 jersey that has nothing to do with striping: Cal added a jersey patch sponsor over the summer, and every one of the school's thirty sports is wearing it.

The throwback is the set people care about. Joe Roth was Cal's quarterback in 1975 and 1976, finished ninth in the Heisman voting, and died of melanoma in February 1977 at 21 years old. His No. 12 is the only retired number in the history of Cal football, and the hip patch on these pants is a gold football outline with a blue block C and a 12 inside it. Cal used to save the set for the home game against UCLA or USC. Then both schools left for the Big Ten, Cal left for the ACC, and the uniform effectively went into a closet with the rivalry. UCLA landed on the 2026 schedule in Week 1, and the uniform came back with it.

The reveal is worth a close look, because the blue is the whole argument. It is a brighter royal than the Berkeley navy Cal has worn in recent seasons, and against the gold helmet and gold pants it reads like a photograph from 1976 rather than a modern jersey with a retro sticker on it.

There is also a white version of the Joe Roth jersey. Cal introduced a Road Edition of the set in 2022, so if the Bears want to bring the tribute along to a road date later in the fall, the jersey already exists. Nothing has been announced for 2026.

The Cal Grateful Dead Helmet for Wake Forest

Cal Football revealed a Grateful Dead helmet on the night of Monday, October 12, and it is set for the Grateful Bears theme game against No. 21 Wake Forest on Saturday, October 17, at 7:30 p.m. Pacific on ESPN2 at California Memorial Stadium. It is part of an official "Grateful Bears" collaboration Cal Athletics announced the same day, with tie-dye apparel, hats and jackets alongside the helmet. Cal says the theme celebrates the Grateful Dead's 29 performances at the Greek Theatre on the Berkeley campus, a run that started with a 1967 show and ended in 1989.

The side logo. The gold shell and gold facemask are the same base as Cal's gold helmet, but the decal is new. The gold Cal script sits at the top of a navy circle trimmed in white, with a white Steal Your Face skull underneath it, the Grateful Dead logo fans call the "stealie."

The stripe. Down the middle runs a blue stripe with a tie-dye texture, bordered in white on both sides, with a white lightning bolt outlined in black running front to back.

The bumper. The best detail is on the back. The white rear bumper carries a line of the Grateful Dead dancing bears in blue-gray, pink, orange and green, and right in the middle of them is Oski, Cal's mascot, in a blue sweater and a cap that says CAL.

On Thursday, October 15, Cal posted the rest of the set, and its own caption sums it up: the lids are yellow and the jerseys are blue. That is the blue jersey with gold numbers and gold pants under the Grateful Dead helmet, plus towels with a gold dancing bear in a Cal cap.

The Full Cal 2026 Uniform Schedule, Week by Week

Cal published its home themes in July, and they double as a decent map of where a special uniform could land. Gold Out for Clemson on a Friday night, Homecoming for Virginia Tech, a first-ever Grateful Dead theme game against Wake Forest, and the 129th Big Game against Stanford.

September 5 vs. UCLA. ★ Confirmed from the broadcast: gold helmet, royal blue jersey, gold pants, the Joe Roth throwback for Lupoi's first game at California Memorial Stadium. UCLA won 45-24. One calendar note: ESPN files this game under September 6 because its schedule feed runs on UTC and a 7:30 p.m. Pacific kickoff is already the next day in London. The correct local date is Saturday, September 5.

September 12 at Syracuse. ★ Confirmed from the broadcast: blue helmet, white jersey, white pants, the standard road set with the gold Cal script on the navy shell. Cal won 21-18 in the dome. Syracuse hosted in orange helmets, navy jerseys and orange pants, which we track on the Syracuse 2026 uniform schedule.

September 19 vs. Wagner. ★ Confirmed from the broadcast: navy helmet, navy jersey, gold pants, the standard home look on Rooted in the Bay Day, which is about what a 12:30 p.m. Pacific kickoff against an FCS opponent invites. Wagner wore white over white. Cal won 49-7.

September 25 vs. Clemson. ★ Confirmed from the broadcast: navy helmet, gold jersey, navy pants. We had blue down for this one, and Cal matched the Gold Out in the stands with a gold jersey instead, while keeping the navy shell rather than the gold Big C helmet. Clemson wore the orange Tiger Paw helmet, white jersey and white pants, so it was gold against white on a Friday night ACC opener on ESPN. Clemson won 24-10, helped by a 65-yard punt return touchdown, and Cal fell to 2-2. More: Clemson uniform schedule.

October 3 at UNLV, Allegiant Stadium, 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network. ★ Confirmed by Cal: navy helmet, white jersey. The helmet is the navy shell with the gold Cal script, the same one from the Syracuse road win, and the jersey is the white road top. The pants are not clearly shown in the reveal, so we are holding off on a full combination until we see the game. It is a rare non-conference road trip in October, played indoors in Las Vegas, and UNLV has confirmed its red helmet, red jersey and gray pants for Hispanic Heritage Day, so it is white against red. More: UNLV uniform schedule. ★ Confirmed from the broadcast: the pants were navy, so the full road set was navy helmet, white jersey and navy pants. UNLV wore the red helmet and red jersey. UNLV won 39-31, and Cal fell to 2-3.

The Week 5 uniform reveal, via @CalFootball

October 10 vs. Virginia Tech, Homecoming, 3:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network. ★ Confirmed from the broadcast: gold helmet, blue jersey, gold pants. Blue was the expected jersey, and the change for Homecoming came on the helmet, with the gold shell in place of the navy one Cal had worn in its other home games. Virginia Tech wore the white helmet with the maroon stripe, a white jersey and maroon pants. The Hokies led 14-10 at halftime, Cal scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and won 25-20, and the Bears are 3-3. More: Virginia Tech uniform schedule.

October 17 vs. No. 21 Wake Forest, Grateful Bears game, 7:30 p.m. Pacific on ESPN2. ★ Revealed by Cal: the gold Grateful Dead helmet, with the Cal script in a Steal Your Face skull, a tie-dye blue lightning bolt stripe and the dancing bears on the back bumper. On Thursday Cal posted the rest of the set: the blue jersey with gold numbers and gold pants, plus towels with a gold dancing bear in a Cal cap. Wake Forest has posted a gloss black helmet, white jersey and black pants. Every Week 7 look is in our Week 7 uniform guide. Full breakdown and our A+ grade in the Grateful Dead helmet section above.

October 24 at SMU. White expected. Cal visits Gerald J. Ford Stadium, where SMU has Fan Appreciation Day and is asking its own fans to wear red, so this could be the rare road game where Cal's white gets a red backdrop instead of a blue one.

October 31 at NC State. White expected. Halloween in Raleigh.

November 7. Bye.

November 14 at Virginia. White expected. The last road game of the season, in Charlottesville.

November 21 vs. Stanford. Blue expected. The 129th Big Game and the battle for the Axe, the oldest rivalry on the West Coast, back in Berkeley.

November 28 vs. Pitt. Blue expected. Hometown Heroes and the final home game of the year.

The Bottom Line

Six games in, Cal is 3-3 and has worn the best throwback of the 2026 season, its plainest road set, a gold jersey for the Clemson Gold Out and a gold helmet over the blue jersey for Homecoming, which is a fair preview of how the rest of the fall should go. Blue is the default at home, white is locked in for all five road dates, and the Joe Roth uniform is the one that moves the needle. The gold Big C helmet stayed in the closet for the Gold Out, but the Grateful Bears game got something better: a gold Grateful Dead helmet with dancing bears on the bumper, which we grade an A+. The open question now is what jersey goes with it. The grid above has every date, and we fill in the stars as each uniform is confirmed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What jersey is Cal wearing this week?

Cal wore the gold helmet, blue jersey and gold pants against Virginia Tech for Homecoming on Saturday, October 10, confirmed from the broadcast, and won 25-20 to get back to 3-3. The week before, the Bears wore the navy helmet, white road jersey and navy pants at UNLV. Next is No. 21 Wake Forest at home on October 17 for the Grateful Bears game, where Cal wears its new gold Grateful Dead helmet with the blue jersey and gold pants, as posted by the team. The week-by-week grid above lists every game with the expected set, and we update it as combinations are confirmed.

What are Cal's football uniforms for 2026?

A Berkeley Blue home jersey with California Gold numerals and gold and white shoulder stripes, a white road jersey with blue numerals trimmed in gold, and the royal blue Joe Roth throwback. The helmets are a blue shell with the gold Cal script, a gold shell with the blue Big C, and a gold throwback shell with the blue script. All of it is Nike, and every jersey carries the school's new jersey patch sponsor.

What are the Joe Roth uniforms?

They are Cal's tribute to quarterback Joe Roth, who played in 1975 and 1976, finished ninth in the 1976 Heisman voting and died of melanoma in February 1977 at 21. His No. 12 is the only retired number in Cal football history. The set is a gold helmet with the blue script, a royal blue jersey, gold pants and a gold football patch on the hip with a blue C and a 12 inside it. Cal wore it against UCLA on September 5.

Does Cal have a new alternate uniform in 2026?

Yes, a new helmet. Cal revealed a gold Grateful Dead helmet on October 12 for the Grateful Bears game against Wake Forest on October 17, worn with the regular blue jersey and gold pants. No new jersey has been announced. The Joe Roth throwback is the special set this season and has already been worn, and the Gold Out against Clemson on September 25 brought out a gold jersey with navy helmet and pants.

Is Cal wearing a Grateful Dead helmet?

Yes. Cal Football revealed a Grateful Dead helmet on October 12, and it is set for the Grateful Bears game against No. 21 Wake Forest on Saturday, October 17, at 7:30 p.m. Pacific on ESPN2. It is a gold helmet with the Cal script inside a Steal Your Face skull, a tie-dye blue center stripe with a white lightning bolt, and the dancing bears on the rear bumper. It goes with the blue jersey and gold pants.

What is on the back of the Cal Grateful Dead helmet?

The white rear bumper has a row of Grateful Dead dancing bears in blue-gray, pink, orange and green, with Oski, Cal's mascot, in the middle wearing a blue sweater and a CAL cap. Above it, the blue lightning bolt stripe runs down the center of the gold shell.

Why is Cal doing a Grateful Dead game?

Cal's Grateful Bears theme game honors the band's history on campus. The Grateful Dead played 29 shows at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, starting in 1967 and running through 1989. Cal Athletics announced the Grateful Bears collaboration on October 12 with tie-dye apparel and the new helmet.

What grade does the Cal Grateful Dead helmet get?

An A+. Cal kept its gold shell and blue and gold colors and added the Grateful Dead details on top: the stealie on the side, the lightning bolt stripe and the colored dancing bears on the bumper.

Why does ESPN list the UCLA game on September 6?

ESPN's schedule feed runs on UTC. A 7:30 p.m. Pacific kickoff on Saturday, September 5 is already Sunday in London, so the game shows a September 6 date there. It was a Saturday night game in Berkeley.

How many games does Cal play in 2026?

Twelve regular season games: seven at California Memorial Stadium and five on the road, with a bye on November 7. Four of the five road trips are ACC games and the fifth is at UNLV. The full schedule with expected uniforms is in the grid above.