Dear Cal Family,
 
As we approach the 128th Big Game – one of the greatest traditions in college sports – we are energized by the momentum building in the athletics department and on campus. As you are well aware, we recently made Louisville, Kentucky, "Bear Territory" with a bold and gutsy overtime win over a nationally ranked Louisville team! This made us bowl eligible for the third year in a row, something that only about a third of the 136 Football Bowl Subdivision schools have achieved this season.  
 
We are excited to carry that energy into Big Game week, which includes legendary tales of Axe heists to the powerful sense of unity that brings the Cal community together. We have been celebrating Big Game week with our campus community, from the tree chopping rally to a special Big Game panel at this month's All-Staff Meeting that featured the legendary Joe Starkey along with Ron Coccomiglio, Kevin Brown, Ron Rivera and Ryan McCulloch.
 
A few other notes related to Cal football – we'll host SMU in our final home game on Saturday, November 29. The ACC television partners selected our game for a six-day window, and we will not be informed of our game time until this Sunday. However, we know that it will not be a night game. We are excited to provide this special offer where if you buy one adult ticket you will receive a FREE youth ticket (ages 3-17).  Let's pack California Memorial Stadium for an unforgettable game day in Berkeley! As we look ahead to bowl season, the bowl games will be announced on Sunday, December 7. We hope you are planning to celebrate the holiday season with the Bears at our bowl destination!  
 
Our men's and women's basketball teams are off to strong starts, with a combined 9-2 record. Women's Basketball had the extraordinary opportunity to open the season in Paris, immersing themselves in French culture and representing Cal on an international stage in a hard-fought battle against nationally ranked Vanderbilt. Over the next month, we hope you'll join us for several games at Haas Pavilion and two marquee games at Chase Center – with men's basketball playing there against UCLA next Tuesday and women's basketball taking on USC on December 21st.  
 
We recently celebrated one of our favorite traditions, National Championship Week, honoring our rugby team and the men's swimming 800-yard freestyle relay team for their 2024-25 national titles. The week included celebrations with staff, a wonderful reception at University House hosted by Chancellor and Jen Lyons, and a special on-field recognition during the football game against Virginia. This is always a meaningful reminder of what sets Cal apart and the championship standards that guide our work.
 
Academically, our student-athletes continue to excel. We are proud to share that our Graduation Success Rate remains at a record high of 93% – our fourth consecutive year above 90%. This matches the campus' graduation rates and underscores the extraordinary dedication our student-athletes bring to balancing academic rigor with the demands of Division I competition.
 
Across the national landscape, there are several forces continuing to shape the future of college athletics, and we have spent much time with our fellow ACC athletic directors discussing the issues of the day. You may have seen the news earlier this fall that the ACC is moving from an eight-game to a nine-game conference schedule for football, starting with the 2026 season. The ACC also will require each member school to play ten power conference games annually. We will generally follow our traditional model of playing one nonconference game against a power conference opponent (we will resume our rivalry with UCLA in 2026), one game against a "group of six" conference opponent, and one game against a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponent each year. Our 2026 ACC opponents will be finalized in the coming months. Rest assured, the Big Game will go on as scheduled each year, with Cal hosting the 129th Big Game in 2026.  
 
Federally, we continue to monitor developments related to the proposed SCORE Act. With the government shutdown resolved, conversations in Washington have resumed. For years, we have been advocating for some assistance from Congress to help provide stability to the college athletics enterprise. Among other things, the SCORE Act would achieve two important goals: (1) it would classify student-athletes as non-employees, and (2) it would provide limited antitrust protection to the NCAA, especially surrounding the eligibility rules. We support the SCORE Act because we are concerned about the ramifications for Olympic sports, and believe eligibility rules should be determined by the NCAA member institutions, not by the courts. For more information and resources on how you can support the SCORE Act if you so choose, please visit passthescoreact.com. 
 
We continue to advance our revenue sharing and above-the-cap NIL strategy, supported by key NIL-focused roles, including our new Learfield NIL content producer role as well as Associate Athletic Director for NIL Justin DiTolla. The House settlement allows schools to distribute up to $20.5 million in revenue-sharing compensation to student-athletes in 2025-26  – with a 4% increase in subsequent years. Third-party NIL deals between businesses and student-athletes are not subject to the cap as long as they are legitimate, fair market value deals that are approved through the national NIL Go clearinghouse.  If your business has an interest in partnering with Cal student-athletes, please reach out to Justin DiTolla at jditolla@berkeley.edu. All of these efforts – within and above the cap – are critical to our teams remaining competitive in recruiting and retaining student-athletes in the post-House Settlement era.
 
As we look ahead, our department remains nimble and forward-thinking. In the coming weeks and months, we will be sharing progress on several major initiatives that are in the works, in alignment with our goals of increased attendance, viewership and revenue. This includes hiring a chief marketing officer and chief financial officer, the monetization of California Memorial Stadium, and continued investments in our football and basketball programs.   
 
With Thanksgiving approaching, we want to express our deep gratitude for this community. Your passion, generosity and belief in our mission fuel everything we do. 
 
We look forward to seeing you soon!
 
Go Bears!

Jenny & Jay