The smiles at the University of California could not be brighter as the Golden Bears have yet to fall victim to the loss column. Cal will travel deep into Southern California to Snapdragon Stadium for a matchup against San Diego State University. For their final non-conference game of the schedule, the Bears will look to start the season 4-0 for the first time since 2019. It’s a Cal vs. SDSU matchup in Week 4, so let’s dive into this 2025 game preview.
Cal Golden Bears vs. San Diego State Aztecs: Matchup History
Saturday’s game will be the 10th gridiron meeting between these two California teams, and the fourth since 2015. Despite lacking a rich history, both programs had a chance to gain familiarity last season when Cal won 31-10 at California Memorial Stadium.
This time, a more daunting task awaits the Bears. The Aztecs have defended home turf to perfection (4-0) against Bay Area’s own. The Bears will now aim to end its road skid against SDSU, and improve its all-time record to 6-4.
In wins over the Aztecs, the Blue and Gold have averaged 36.2 points and a 20.4-point win margin. However, in losses, the Bears have scored only 20.8 points per game, losing by an average of 11.3 points.
Nonetheless, Cal enters Saturday night as a -12.5 favorite.
Cal vs. SDSU 2025 Preview: Must-Know Keys and Predictions
Key Player for Cal
The freshman quarterback, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.
The Hawaii native is a certified baller, and his impressive start to his debut campaign has put Cal on nationwide notice.
In last week’s win over Minnesota, Sagapolutele’s 279-yard (career-best), three-touchdown (tied career-high) performance rewarded him with his second ACC Rookie of the Week honors.
“We don’t sit there on the sidelines and think ‘Well, I don’t know if Jaron can handle that’, that doesn’t even come out of our mouths,” Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said about his star quarterback. “He’s prepared. He obviously can handle it, and he’s doing a heck of a job.”
Through three games, the 19-year-old prospect ranks seventh in passing yards (780), sixth in touchdowns (six) and fourth in completions (71) among the ACC. He has the arm strength to make any pass on the field, the accuracy to place balls in the basket and the natural awareness in the pocket to get out and create his own play.
He’s currently on pace for 3120 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. If the trajectory holds true, JKS would statistically be the best quarterback the program has seen since Davis Webb’s 4295-yard, 37-touchdown year in 2016.
Sagapolutele has made Cal football fun again for a campus that the country once presumed was too nerdy for football.
Key Player for SDSU
Running back Lucky Sutton is the driving force behind San Diego State’s offense.
The Aztecs are fresh off an early-season bye week after losing 36-13 to Washington State the previous week. With a chance to regroup, SDSU will look to break through Cal’s potent rush defense and remain multi-dimensional.
“Coach Lewis has always done a really good job offensively,” Wilcox said. “[The Aztecs are] coming off a bye week, so I’m sure there’s going to be some things that we have not seen on tape. They do a good job using tempo. They put you in conflict a lot with their offensive scheme.”
The junior back is midst of a breakout year with 188 yards and two touchdowns through two games. Sutton is receiving a full workload, averaging 94 rushing yards on 17 touches per game. He’s also recorded his first career 100-yard game earlier this season.
“It’s going to help a lot,” Sutton said in regard to establishing the run game. “It’s definitely going to help [our] defense — having them stay off the field. But, also [will] open up our offense as a whole, open up the pass game.”
Cal’s Path to Remaining Undefeated in Week 4
The Bears have been riding a hot streak of multi-score wins in each of their first three games, and will look to carry the momentum into San Diego.
With JKS under center, Cal is averaging 32 points and is nearly moving the ball 400 yards per game this season. So for an undefeated season to remain alive, Sagapolutele must continue to remain fearless and comfortable in his offense.
To complement that, the defense is performing like a top unit in the nation. The side led by linebacker Cade Uluave and defensive back Hezekiah Masses, the Blue and Gold are allowing just 10.7 points and 82.3 rushing yards per game. Keeping that same resilient effort on Saturday night would limit SDSU’s scoring opportunities.
Like Cal, the Aztecs are a stout defensive group, so an old-school, nitty-gritty outing could be in store. The scoreboard might not be lit up, but it should make for an excellent primetime showing.
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Eric Hayrapetian
Eric is a lifelong Angeleno and a sports journalist who graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. He joined The League Winners in January of 2025, and is the lead beat writer for the UCLA Bruins. Follow Eric on X (formerly known as Twitter) @EricHayrapetian.