Cal Football Team Prepares For 'Down Under' Opener

SYDNEY (CBS SF) – Before he ever thought about Xs and Os, California head coach Sonny Dykes faced a major problem with his team playing its season opener Friday against the University of Hawaii in Sydney, Australia.

He had to make sure the 100-plus members of his squad had passports.

"We had to get 70 passports," Dykes told reporters at his opening news conference. "We've been working on it since January."

The trip Down Under is the first for most of the team.

"I don't think we've had a player on our team that's been to Australia before," he told reporters. "It's the first time for me, too, and I know we're all excited. It's a big experience for these guys. It's something they'll remember for the rest of their lives."

The players were not the only ones to make the journey. The cheerleaders and fans like former Cal and NFL great Marshawn Lynch also traveled to Sydney.

Off the practice field, the team was also taking in the sights including a ferry ride in the Sydney Harbour and a trip to bodysurf at Sydney's famed Bondi Beach.

On Tuesday, both teams were welcomed to the city at an Opera House reception. Cal coach Sonny Dykes and Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich were presented with Malibu-sized surfboards and some of the players posed for selfies with the iconic Opera House and bridge in the background

The contest usher in the 2016 college football season in the first game on Australian soil since 1999.

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