Cal’s roller-coaster season will finish in Honolulu on Christmas Eve.
The Golden Bears will face Hawaii within the Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24, the Atlantic Coast Convention and ESPN Occasions introduced Thursday. The sport will kick off at 5 p.m. on ESPN.
That is the third straight bowl sport for the Bears (7-5), though it has been a wild experience and extra main adjustments are on the best way.
Within the wake of a 31-10 loss to arch-rival Stanford within the penultimate sport of the common season, coach Justin Wilcox was fired after 9 seasons. Common supervisor Ron Rivera promoted Nick Rolovich as interim head coach, and the Bears upset No. 25-ranked SMU 38-35 to conclude this system’s winningest common season since 2019. These Bears additionally received seven regular-season video games, however completed 8-5 after successful the Redbox Bowl.
Rolovich is predicted to educate Cal within the Hawaii Bowl, however the Bears seem poised to rent Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi, a number of sources advised the Wilner Hotline earlier this week. Lupoi, a Walnut Creek native and former De La Salle standout, was a defensive lineman in Berkeley from 2000-2005 and coached the Bears line from 2008-11.
California Golden Bears interim head coach Nick Rolovich is doused by his crew as they rejoice defeating the Southern Methodist Mustangs after their sport at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. The California Golden Bears defeated the Southern Methodist Mustangs 38-35. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Space Information Group)
The bowl sport towards the Warriors (8-4) can be a homecoming for Cal star freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who’s from Ewa Seaside. Rolovich was Hawaii’s head coach from 2016–19, main the Rainbow Warriors to 3 bowl appearances earlier than he took over the top teaching job at Washington State. Rolovich joined Wilcox’s workers this season.
“We are excited to accept an invitation from the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl and continue our season in Honolulu,” Rivera mentioned in a press release issued by Cal. “This is a reward for the hard work our student-athletes put in during the season, and we are looking forward to competing against an excellent Hawaii team in front of a nationally televised audience.”
Cal opened the season with three straight wins and was 5-2 after defeating Invoice Belichick and North Carolina on Oct. 17 at Memorial Stadium. However the Bears misplaced three of their subsequent 4 — the win was a 29-26 upset at then-No. 14 Louisville — earlier than the faceplant at Stanford that price Wilcox his job.
Nonetheless, earlier than his dismissal, Wilcox had secured the six wins wanted to increase this system’s longest bowl streak because it went to seven straight bowl video games from 2003-09.
California Golden Bears basic supervisor Ron Rivera walks the sidelines within the first half of their sport at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Space Information Group)
Though Cal performed within the LA Bowl final season and the Independence Bowl in 2024, the Bears haven’t received a bowl sport since routing Illinois 35-20 within the 2019 Redbox Bowl, Wilcox’s third season.
This can be Cal’s first look within the Hawaii Bowl and its twenty seventh bowl sport total. The Bears’ postseason report is 12-13-1.
Cal is among the ACC’s 11 bowl-eligible groups. The rest of the league’s bowl lineup can be introduced Sunday.
Hawaii (8-4) can be enjoying a 3rd sport towards a Bay Space crew after beating Stanford 23-20 in Honolulu within the season opener and dropping 45-38 on the street to San Jose State final month.
The precedence entry window for soccer season ticket holders to buy tickets to the Hawaii Bowl is open on CalBears.com. Tickets for most of the people can be obtainable beginning Monday at 10 a.m.
