# UCLA Bruins 2026 Season Playbook Seven home dates at the Rose Bowl, one of them a Friday night, plus road trips from Berkeley to Ann Arbor. The 2026 slate, mapped against the city. **Team:** UCLA Bruins (NCAA) **Home:** Rose Bowl, Pasadena **Official site:** https://uclabruins.com **Updated:** 2026-08-19T10:30:00-07:00 ## Current Outlook ### The Slate at a Glance - **Home:** 7 at the Rose Bowl - **Away:** 5 - **Bye:** Weekend of Oct 3 Six Saturdays and a Friday night in Pasadena. Road swings to Berkeley, College Park, Eugene, Minneapolis and Ann Arbor. Source: [UCLA Athletics](https://uclabruins.com/sports/football/schedule), read 2026-08-19. ### Next Three at the Rose Bowl - **Sat Sep 12:** San Diego State, 4:15 PM - **Sat Sep 19:** Purdue, 8:00 PM - **Sat Oct 17:** Wisconsin, time TBA The home opener follows a Week 1 trip to Berkeley, so Pasadena gets its first look in Week 2. Source: [UCLA Athletics](https://uclabruins.com/sports/football/schedule), read 2026-08-19. ### The Crosstown Date - **Sat Nov 28:** USC, at the Rose Bowl Thanksgiving weekend, in Pasadena this year. The one date on the calendar that needs no sell. Source: [UCLA Athletics](https://uclabruins.com/sports/football/schedule), read 2026-08-19. ## Schedule | Wk | Date | Site | Opponent | Venue | TV | The Plan | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Sat 09/05 · 7:30 PM PT | AWAY | [California Golden Bears](https://www.calbears.com) | California Memorial Stadium | ESPN | The season opens under the lights in Berkeley. A late kick on a Saturday means the day is free; if you are flying up, the evening flight home is the move. | | 2 | Sat 09/12 · 4:15 PM PT | HOME | [San Diego State Aztecs](https://www.goaztecs.com) | Rose Bowl | Big Ten Network | First Saturday of the year at the Rose Bowl. The Brookside lots open early; bring shade and beat the afternoon heat in. | | 3 | Sat 09/19 · 8:00 PM PT | HOME | [Purdue Boilermakers](https://www.purduesports.com) | Rose Bowl | Big Ten Network | An 8 PM kick under the lights. Dinner in Old Pasadena first, then the walk up. The rare night game where the drive home is painless. | | 4 | Sat 09/26 · Time TBA | AWAY | [Maryland Terrapins](https://www.umterps.com) | SECU Stadium | | The first Big Ten road trip, all the way to College Park. On the East Coast clock this is a breakfast-and-couch game. | | BYE | Bye week | BYE | No game | | | The pause lands after four games. The Rose Bowl loop is a walk on a non-game weekend, and Old Pasadena is at its easiest. | | 5 | Sat 10/10 · Time TBA | AWAY | [Oregon Ducks](https://www.goducks.com) | Autzen Stadium | | Autzen is the loudest road date on the card. If you are not flying to Eugene, this is a soundbar game. | | 6 | Sat 10/17 · Time TBA | HOME | [Wisconsin Badgers](https://www.uwbadgers.com) | Rose Bowl | | Mid-October is the best weather window on the schedule. The tailgate lots are the whole afternoon. | | 7 | Sat 10/24 · Time TBA | HOME | [Michigan State Spartans](https://www.msuspartans.com) | Rose Bowl | | Sparty in Pasadena. The underrated ticket while everyone else circles Oregon and Michigan. | | 8 | Sat 10/31 · Time TBA | HOME | [Nevada Wolf Pack](https://www.nevadawolfpack.com) | Rose Bowl | | Halloween at the Rose Bowl. Costumes in the stands are guaranteed; plan the drive home like a holiday. | | 9 | Sat 11/07 · Time TBA | AWAY | [Minnesota Golden Gophers](https://www.gophersports.com) | Huntington Bank Stadium | | November in Minneapolis is a different sport. Watch this one somewhere warm, ideally near a fireplace. | | 10 | Fri 11/13 · 6:00 PM PT | HOME | [Illinois Fighting Illini](https://www.fightingillini.com) | Rose Bowl | FOX | Friday night football at the Rose Bowl, on FOX. Leave work early; the 210 at rush hour is the real opponent. | | 11 | Sat 11/21 · Time TBA | AWAY | [Michigan Wolverines](https://www.mgoblue.com) | Michigan Stadium | | The Big House in late November. The biggest stage of the season and a living-room game with the volume up. | | 12 | Sat 11/28 · Time TBA | HOME | [USC Trojans](https://www.usctrojans.com) | Rose Bowl | | The crosstown game, in Pasadena this year, on Thanksgiving weekend. The one date on the calendar that needs no sell. | ## Where to Eat Game day at the Rose Bowl runs on Pasadena. Eat in town before you climb into the Arroyo; the options inside the gates have never been the point. - **Pie 'n Burger** (Pasadena) Counter stools and the classic griddled burger, a Pasadena constant since 1963. _The counter line moves faster than it looks._ - **The Hat** (Pasadena) The pastrami dip institution on Lake Avenue, built for a pregame stop. _The wet fries are a shareable order._ - **Old Pasadena** (Pasadena) Colorado Boulevard and the side streets hold the widest bench of pregame tables in the city. _Book ahead for the 8 PM kickoffs._ ## Where to Shop Pasadena retail is walkable and close to the stadium, which makes it the rare pregame errand run that actually fits the day. - **Old Pasadena** (Pasadena) The main drag and the alleyways off it. National brands on Colorado, locals on the side streets. - **Vroman's Bookstore** (Pasadena) The city’s great independent bookstore, two blocks off Colorado Boulevard. _The sports section is deeper than expected._ - **Rose Bowl Flea Market** (Pasadena) The second Sunday of every month, in the stadium’s own lots. _Go early; the good finds move by 9 AM._ ## Do This The Arroyo Seco is the stadium’s front yard. On game weekends it is the tailgate; on every other weekend it belongs to the city. - **Brookside Park** (Arroyo Seco) The tailgate flats around the stadium. Even without a ticket, the lots are the atmosphere. _Shade and a chair beat a tent._ - **Rose Bowl Loop** (Pasadena) The 3.1-mile loop around the stadium, open to the city on every non-game day. _Best at golden hour._ - **The Gamble House** (Pasadena) The Craftsman landmark, about a mile from the stadium gates. _Tours book out on holiday weekends._ ## Where to Watch Road Games Five road trips, most of them on Midwestern clocks. The right room matters more than the right channel package. - **Lucky Baldwin's Pub** (Old Pasadena) The British pub anchor with the taps and the TVs, walkable from everything. _Early kickoffs fill the bar first._ - **The Blind Donkey** (Pasadena) Whiskey bar on Union Street with the game on and no pretense. _The back room is quieter for a close game._ - **Dog Haus Biergarten** (Old Pasadena) The original location of the hot-dog-and-beer hall, with communal tables built for a noon kick. _Counter service keeps it moving._ --- Schedule verified against https://uclabruins.com. Cite as: CurationsLA, "UCLA Bruins 2026 Season Playbook", https://www.curationsla.com/sports/ucla License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Structured data: https://www.curationsla.com/sports/ucla/dataset.json