The Bears host San Diego State

Cal faces San Diego State tonight in a nationally televised game at Cal Memorial Stadium.

Here are the most important facts about Saturday’s game.

CAL (2-0), SAN DIEGO STATE (1-1)

WEBSITE: California's Memorial Stadium Berkeley

WHEN: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time

TV: ESPN- Dave Flemming (comments), Brock Osweiler (analyst), Stormy Buonantony (sideline)

RADIO: 810 AM and Sirius XM Radio (Sirius XM 113 and 202) — Justin Allegri (live commentary), Mike Pawlawski (Analyst), Kevin Danna (Sideline Reporter)

BETTING LINE: Cal is favored by SI Sportsbook by 17.5 points as of Friday afternoon. (The spread was 19.5 points at the start of the week.) The over/under is 47.5 points.

WEATHER FORECAST: Saturday afternoon in Berkeley will be partly cloudy with highs around 21 degrees, but the temperature will drop to around 16 degrees by game time Saturday evening and to lows of 15 degrees by the end of the game. Saturday night will be cloudy and the humidity will be around 88%. There is a 14% chance of rain in the evening.

HISTORY OF THE STATE OF CASAM-SAN DIEGO: Cal and San Diego State have met eight times and the series is 4-4. The teams are 4-0 against each other in home games. The last time they met was in 2016, when the Aztecs won 45-40 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. The last time the teams played in Berkeley was in 2015, when Cal won 35-7 and Jared Goff threw two touchdown passes.

CAL PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Cal running back Jaydn Ott (ankle) is questionable for the game, and projected starting wide receivers Tobias Merriweather and Kuion Grayes will miss their third straight game with injuries. Guard Sioape Vatikani and center Will McDonald are projected starters who missed Cal's first two games and are unlikely to play Saturday either. Outside linebacker David Reese is likely to play Saturday after missing playing time with an injury.

SAN DIEGO STATE PLAYER AVAILABILITY: The Aztecs' starting quarterback, Danny O'Neil, is questionable due to a knee injury he sustained in the game against Oregon State.

CAL STORYLINES:

–Cal beat Auburn 21-14 on the road, and the Bears hope to start the season 3-0 for the first time since 2019, when the Bears won their first four games. Cal must avoid an emotional letdown in a game in which it is clearly favored. The Bears begin ACC play next week when they travel to Florida State.

–Fernando Mendoza has cemented himself as Cal's starting quarterback after his strong performance in last week's win over Auburn. However, Chandler Rogers could still play in certain situations, especially when a run threat at quarterback would be helpful.

–Cal running back Jaydn Ott, a first-team all-Pac-12 selection last year, is questionable with an ankle injury. He managed just 49 rushing yards in the opener against UC Davis and just 11 yards on 10 carries against Auburn last week when he seemed slowed by the injury. If Ott can't play, sophomore Jaivian Thomas will likely get most of the playing time at running back.

–Cal has recorded seven interceptions, which is tops in the country, and its eight total turnovers are the most in the country. The Bears' plus-7 turnover margin (8 turnovers, 1 turnover) is the best in the country, tied with Illinois and Oklahoma.

–The Golden Bears received votes in both the AP Poll (3 voting points) and the Coaches Poll (5 voting points) this week. It was the first time Cal received votes in the polls since the final rankings in 2019.

–Cal had no sacks in its opener against UC Davis, but had three against Auburn last week. Putting pressure on San Diego State's quarterback will be critical to the Bears' success on Sunday night.

–Saturday's game against San Diego State will be Cal's first night game of the season. The Bears were 1-3 in night games last season.

STORIES OF THE STATE OF SAN DIEGO

–It was announced Thursday that four members of the Mountain West Conference — San Diego State, Boise State, Fresno State and Colorado State — will become members of the Pac-12 beginning in the 2026-27 academic year. They will join Washington State and Oregon State in a six-team conference, although the Pac-12 will seek to add two more schools to make it an eight-team conference in 2026.

–Sean Lewis is in his first season as San Diego State's head coach. He replaces Brady Hoke, who retired after the Aztecs' 4-8 season in 2023. Lewis, 37, was head coach at Kent State from 2018-2022 and offensive coordinator at Colorado last year.

–San Diego State lost 21-0 to Oregon State last week, but the final score is a little misleading. The Aztecs were trailing 7-0 when they had the ball at the Oregon State 2-yard line midway through the third quarter with a chance to tie the score. But quarterback Danny O'Neil dropped the ball, Oregon State recovered it and ran it 98 yards to make it 14-0.

–Danny O'Neil is the first true freshman quarterback in school history to start in San Diego State's season opener. He is scheduled to start Saturday against Cal, but a knee injury suffered last Saturday against Oregon State makes his status questionable. If he can't play, either Javance Tupou'ata-Johnson or AJ Duffy would be the Aztecs' starting quarterback.

–San Diego State running back Marquez Cooper entered the 2024 season as the nation's leading active FBS runner with 3,856 career yards. He rushed for 223 yards in San Diego State's 45-14 victory over Texas A&M-Commerce in the 2024 opener. The 5-foot-7 Cooper played his first three college seasons at Kent State and last season at Ball State. He was named to the All-MAC first team in 2022 and second team in both 2021 and 2023.

–San Diego State finished 4-8 last season, their first losing season since 2009. It was also the first time since 2009 that the Aztecs did not appear in a bowl game, aside from the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The Aztecs were picked to finish eighth in the 12-team Mountain West in this year's preseason media poll.

—A sports journalist from San Diego State University answers five questions about the Aztecs—

CAL PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Fernando Mendoza (3 TD passes, 0 interceptions); RB Jayden Ott (questionable whether it is playable); RB Jaivian Thomas (impressive last week); CB Nohl Williams (Kickoff return for a TD, 3 interceptions); ILB Teddye Buchanan (20 tackles, 2 sacks); WR Nyziah Hunter (3 TD receptions)

SAN DIEGO STATE PLAYERS TO WATCH: RB Marquez Cooper (138.0 yards per game, 6.9 yards per run in 2024); Quarterback Danny O’Neil (true freshman, 2 TD passes, 0 interceptions); WR Ja'Shaun Poke (West Virginia transfer, 9 receptions, 55 yards); WR Louis Brown IV (Transfer from Colorado State, 5 catches, 136 yards); LB Tano Letuli (Army transfer, 15 tackles)

CAL STATISTICS: Click here

CAL NOTES, DEPTH CHART: Click here

STATISTICS OF THE STATE OF SAN DIEGO: Click here

JAKE’S CHOICE: Cal 24, San Diego State 10

JEFFS CHOICE: Cal 31, San Diego State 14

KIRK KENNET'S TIP (San Diego Union Tribune): Cal 27, San Diego State 10

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