Start times announced for first three games of the UCLA season

The start times for the first quarter of the regular season were announced for the UCLA Bruins earlier this week, with UCLA getting late start times in two of their first three games of the season.

The TV broadcast schedule was also released with the start times, with Bob Chesney beginning his UCLA Bruin coaching career on ESPN in Week 1. The expectations for UCLA aren’t through the roof by any means, but there’s a level of optimism that the Bruins new coaching staff will lead the team back to college football relevance. 

Weeks 1-3 are locked! 🔒 #4suppic.twitter.com/bHcNcsSTJt— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) May 27, 2026

Week 1: at Cal 7:30pm PT, ESPN

UCLA will face a former Pac-12 Conference rival in Week 1 in a showdown between two first year head coaches. Either Chesney or Cal coach Tosh Lupoi will get the first win with their new team on national television.

Cal has been a favorable matchup for UCLA all-time, with the Bruins owning a 58-35-1 record versus the Golden Bears. UCLA got beat down in the last meeting though, with a Fernando Mendoza-led Cal team stomping UCLA 33-7 in 2023.

Week 2: versus San Diego State 4:15pm PT, Big Ten Network

Chesney and the Bruins will return to the Rose Bowl in Week 2 for the home opener, the first game for Chesney and many new Bruins with UCLA. San Diego State is coming off of a 9-4 season. 

SDSU and UCLA had just one common opponent in 2025, with the New Mexico Lobos beating both the Aztecs and the Bruins.

Week 3: versus Purdue 8:00pm PT, Big Ten Network 

It’s not a bad strategy for UCLA to start Big Ten Conference games as late as possible to drowsy up their East Coast conference rivals, so that’s exactly how the Bruins are beginning their 2026 conference action.

It will be the first meeting of UCLA versus Purdue on the gridiron since 1980, as the Bruins have never lost to the Boilermakers, owning a 3-0-2 record dating back to 1950.

This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Week 1 primetime: UCLA to begin 2026 season on ESPN versus Cal