Saturday, September 5, 2026. Kickoff 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The last game of the opening Saturday, and by a distance the latest. UCLA visits California in Berkeley for a 7:30 local kickoff that lands at 10:30 on the East Coast — long after every other game has finished.
| Kickoff | 10:30 p.m. ET · 9:30 CT · 8:30 MT · 7:30 PT |
| TV | ESPN |
| Streaming | ESPN App, Disney+, Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling Orange |
| Venue | California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley |
Two Californians in the Big Ten
The realignment oddity of the decade: UCLA and California both left the Pac-12, UCLA for the Big Ten and Cal for the ACC. This is now a non-conference game between two schools 350 miles apart who used to play every year as conference rivals.
Neither has fully settled into the new arrangement. Both spend more time on planes than any programs in their leagues.
Why It’s So Late
ESPN keeps a late West Coast window to extend Saturday coverage past midnight in the East. For anyone on the East Coast this is a commitment — the game will finish close to 2 a.m.
The upside is that it has the audience entirely to itself. No competition, no channel-flipping.
How to Watch
ESPN carries it nationally, with Disney+ now offering a streaming route alongside Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Stream and Sling Orange.
West Coast viewers get the best of it — a 7:30 local kickoff on a Saturday night is the ideal slot.
The Bottom Line
UCLA at California kicks off 10:30 p.m. ET Saturday, September 5 on ESPN from Berkeley. It is the final game of opening Saturday and won’t finish until well after midnight in the East.