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Football: Cal to face Oregon at new Levi’s Stadium in Friday night game next season

Posted on by Jeff Faraudo

The Cal football team will play at the 49ers’ new Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara next season, after all.

But the opponent will be Oregon, not Stanford.

The Golden Bears and the Santa Clara Stadium Authority announced Tuesday the Bears and Ducks will stage the first college football game at the new stadium on Friday, Oct. 24 of next season.

Cal had explored the possibility of playing the Big Game at Levi’s Stadium next season, but shelved the proposal because of sharp reaction from fans and alumni.

“Playing the first college football game at Levi’s Stadium provides an exceptional opportunity for our student-athletes, alumni, students and fans to be some of the first to experience the new venue, one that will soon play host to a Super Bowl,” Cal athletic director Sandy Barbour said in a statement.

Levi’s Stadium is scheduled to open for the 2014 football season as the new home for the 49ers. The $1.2 billion facility seats 68,500 and will serve as the site for Super Bowl L in 2016 and the annual Fight Hunger Bowl beginning next year.

“I know that our players will embrace the chance to play Oregon at Levi’s Stadium next fall, and I’m sure our fans will create a great atmosphere for our team,” Cal coach Sonny Dykes said. “This is a special opportunity to play in a stadium where the Super Bowl will be held in the near future and one that we feel can generate a tremendous overall experience for everyone involved.”

The Cal-Oregon contest will be televised nationally by either ESPN or FOX, with the network to be designated at a later date.

Barbour also said the move to Santa Clara gives the university administration the ability to study the effects of weeknight games and develop solutions for hosting games under those circumstances in Berkekey.

TICKET INFORMATION: Cal season-ticket holders will have the opportunity to opt-in to purchase seats to the Cal-Oregon game in addition to the six-game Memorial Stadium package.

Full season-ticket holders will be able to purchase tickets to the Cal-Oregon game at a special discounted rate, and ESP members will receive complimentary tickets and parking equivalent to their normal allocation.

Cal students will have access to tickets at a significant discount and complimentary transportation to the game. Specific inventory has been reserved for Levi’s Stadium Builders License (SBL) holders who, along with suite holders, will have access to tickets prior to the general public for this event.

Jeff Faraudo

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  • Sonny Dykes and AD Sandy Barbour should be fired. That’s the only way Cal football comes back from the dead. Explanation in post at sportskaster.blogspot.com

  • BlakeStreetBear

    This is lame. Why did we renovate OUR stadium only to go play in somebody else’s????

    This will essentially be a neutral site game. Oregon fans will travel well for it, Cal alumni and students, not so much…unless there is a dramatic improvement in the beginning of next season…

    Basketball game vs cuse on in an hour! Go Bears!

  • BlakeStreetBear

    Sportskaster, not gonna click on your spammy self-promotional link, no thanks. but who do you recommend they hire, you obvious sports genius you?

  • Daveinthehills

    Wait, WHAT?!? This game isn’t included in our ticket package. How much more do they want to p*ss us off? #FireSandy

  • Juancho

    Im officially not spending any money on our foitball program moving forward.

    Ill stick to baseball, basketball and the others. Enough is enough. Instead of fixing the real issues our AD wastes time with busy work like the colossal waste of money which is the rebrand, and now this inconvenience.

    I go to cal games to be on campus. Not to go to the niners stadium.

  • joey

    Not going to any football games until Sonny is gone or the team becomes competitive. Probably takes one to get to the other.

  • Daredevil fan

    The football spending boycott group is growing. Sad but they made their bed now they need to lay in it. With bedbugs.

  • Mike

    My question is this. Why does the Pac 12 give Cal 2 Friday night games in three years( I know they can) when many other Pac 12 teams have yet to have this opportunity? Why do they want to show case a game involving one of the worst teams in the nation?

    Question 2 : What do the 49 ers get out of this, especially if no one shows up?

    Question 3: Is Sandy guaranteed a pay out regardless of who shows up?

  • 1brsfan

    I’ve got an idea… Let’s take away any sort of home field advantage against a division opponent and make it even easier for them to beat us!

    Whomever came up with this idea should be fired!

  • al

    If you don’t want to go then don’t! The intoxicated douche bag followers of the quacks will show either way.

  • 707 Bear

    Just saw the scroll on the TV on my way to bed during blackout blog rehab and bribed a guard to get on:

    Larry Scott is evil: Thursday game against USC in 2011 (our tradition and theirs (Union Square rally) ruined), Friday against UDub in 2012, 5 games 7:30 or later in 2013.

    Doesn’t Sandy listen: We didn’t want to play Stanford on a Saturday in the South Bay, what makes her think we want to play Oregon on a Friday.

    Oh Bears!

  • 707 Bear

    Also,

    Does Sandy remember the 2011, SF season?

    1. no sellouts (not even USC)
    2. more Fresno State fans at Candlestick than Cal fans
    3. Cal students wouldn’t cross the Bay–even with free bus rides to go to the game (more students at a an average high school game)

    What the h** is going on?

  • 1brsfan

    707- you forgot about moving Big Game from it’s traditional Saturday before Thanksgiving slot to October. No other P12 rivalry has had to move from their traditional spot.

  • 707 Bears

    Just off the phone with 1 800 GO BEARS and they claim they want feedback on the Oregon game decision.

    Oh, here’s another gem from the press release…Cal will play BYU at home on November 29th…that’s right, after the Stanford game.

    Tell Larry Scott the traditional rivalry games should be played the weekend before Thanksgiving. No exceptions. Tell Notre Dame and BYU to play each other the last game of the year.

  • ScottyBear

    WTF?? Agree with my brother Juancho. This is it for me too regarding donating any more $$ to Cal Football until Sandy is gone. Coming to campus is one of the main reasons to be at Cal home games. Having to pay extra and drive all the way to Santa Clara?? Sandy, adios please!!

  • 1brsfan

    The last time we played a non-conference game after the Big Game it kept us out of the Rose Bowl! Not sure we’ll have the same problem next year but just saying.

  • covinared

    you fogies all sound like you all just need something to complain about. Friday night ESPN games work well for us down here in SOCAL. Just bought my son an under armour California Bears shirt.

  • 707 Bears

    Covinard: You are the target Pac 12 audience (doesn’t go to games, but sits at home and watches advertisements)

    It’s all about TV and cash, which is fine as long as you’re willing to destroy traditions and play to half-empty stadiums (this is a particular problem for us as we have a 350 million debt on the new Memorial).

    I would prefer to be in the stands on a Saturday afternoon and keep the traditions, but that’s just me.

    As for being a “fogie,” my better half would agree.

    Happy Thanksgiving

  • covinared

    707: Happy Thanksgiving. Times are a’changing. I miss alot of the old ways, but appreciate how many more opportunities there are now to see the Bears play. If Cal folks don’t think its important enough to see the team play in a brand new state of the art stadium in SJ on a Friday, that’s primarily on them. I drove up to the SC game this year. I missed one of my fraternity brothers who decided he did not want to make the drive and fight the traffic from Portola Valley for a Saturday afternoon game. If someone is lukewarm about a team, there will always be a reason to stay home.

  • 1brsfan

    Covina- Any night, the later the better, works for me. With two young boys Saturday afternoons don’t work well. However I was thinking of the other old fogies when I complained. Most of them can’t stay up past 9 PM.

    Happy Thanksgiving to all! Let’s hope the BBall team gives us a nice win today!

    Go Bears!

  • covinared

    I saw the game yesterday. Bball is better this year than last. Just need one more inside guy. Happy Thanksgiving!

  • Woj

    40,000 Oregon fans ought to enjoy the experience of Levi’s stadium as they demolish the woeful golden doormats. Any Cal fan paying to watch that 66-10 demolition is into some serious BDSM.