Everything You Need to Know Ahead Cal at Stanford

Coming off of a bye week after a tough loss to North Carolina on the road, the Stanford Cardinal (3-7, 2-5 ACC) will return home for what will be a massive, massive contest against the California Golden Bears—a rivalry dubbed the 'Big Game.'

Needing a win to surpass the 3-9 record they've held the previous four seasons, as well as earn a win in arguably their biggest game of the season, the Cardinal will go into the game locked in and focused.

The penultimate game of the season, the Cardinal will face a Cal team that has struggled at times this season, but has overall played fairly well en route to becoming bowl eligible, all while being led by a true freshman quarterback. The Golden Bears are coming off of a massive upset win over a ranked Louisville team and will surely have a lot of confidence when they come into Stanford Stadium.

Listed as the underdogs but playing well at home this season, the Cardinal are ready to get back on track and take back the Stanford Axe for the first time since 2020 while also improving their win total from the previous four seasons.

Here is everything you need to know about Stanford's upcoming matchup against California.

Game Information

When: Saturday, Nov. 22, 4:30 p.m. (PT)

Where: Stanford Stadium

How to Watch: ACC Network/ESPN

Spread: Cal (-3)

Moneyline: Cal (-146), Stanford (+123)

Total: O/U 46.5

*Betting odds provided by Fox Sports and are used here as a reference point, not betting advice*

Players to Watch - Stanford

Entire Offensive Line

What an interesting season it has been for Stanford's offensive line. Starting the season off strong to help the Cardinal run game establish a rhythm, injuries and inconsistent play have caused the line to falter at times this season, with the last couple of weeks seeing the Cardinal really struggle to keep up against their opponents.

Because of that, Stanford's run game has taken a hit, with the offense forced to play more one dimensional in recent games.

But against Cal, it will be vitally important that the offensive line plays a good game and creates holes for the running backs to run through.

Cal is a physical team with a relatively good defense, meaning that the Cardinal offense will need to find a way to play good multi-faceted football instead of relying solely on the passing attack. And for a Stanford program that has not beat Cal since 2020, they will surely go into this one looking for any way that they can come out on top.

The Cardinal will be getting some players back on the offensive line that should help them for this game. Out for most of the season with an injury, guard Simione Pale is expected to return for the Big Game, giving the Cardinal an almost fully healthy offensive line for their biggest game of the season.

LB Matt Rose

Entering the season, expectations around Rose were high-- with the redshirt junior needing to step up big time in order to replace the lost production of former Cardinal linebackers Tristan Sinclair and Gaethan Bernadel. And while Rose brought a veteran presence, he had a small sample size. But so far this season in his first campaign as a full-time starter, Rose has been a star.

Having 83 total tackles so far (41 solo) with three passes defended, two sacks and a forced fumble, Rose has evolved into a superstar for the Cardinal and their most reliable defender. Physical with a high motor, Rose flies to the ball and is never afraid to get involved to make a play. With Cal being an offense that will look to tire out Stanford's defense, look for Rose to be all over the field.

Defense will be the key in this game for Stanford, who lost the Big Game last year after being up 21-7 due to a late game collapse by the defense. Hungry to win their first game against Cal since 2020, expect the defense to come out firing, with Rose the star of the show.

CB Brandon Nicholson

Collin Wright is the marquee player at cornerback, but this season Nicholson has proved that he has what it takes to take over the No. 1 role after Wright's inevitable departure for the NFL after the season. A former three-star recruit from Memphis, Tennessee, the sophomore has continued to grow and has looked every bit like the future superstar that Stanford brought him in to be.

So far this season, Nicholson has 14 total tackles (12 solo) with four passes defended and a career high of two interceptions. Wright is expected to play this week and will line up against Cal's number one receiver in Jacob de Jesus, but with Nicholson being a shutdown corner as well, a good game from him could mean that Cal's passing attack is nonexistent.

Cal may not be the flashiest team, but one thing that they have done fairly well at this season is passing the ball. Led by a true freshman quarterback, Cal has caused problems in the passing game for opponents, a big reason why they are 6-4 and bowl eligible for the third straight season.

Expect Cal to throw the ball a lot. But if Nicholson plays his best game, the Golden Bears will have trouble moving the ball.

Players to Watch - Cal

QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele

Only the second true freshman to start a game for Cal in school history, Sagapolutele has firmly put his name on the map as someone to watch and has put together a relatively strong start to his college career.

Formerly committed to Oregon and enrolling there, Sagapolutele put his name in the transfer portal and headed to Cal in January, where he beat out Devin Brown for the starting job. Now, Sagapolutele has the Golden Bears back in a bowl game and will look to improve Cal's caliber of bowl game with a win over the Cardinal this weekend.

So far this season, JKS has thrown for 2,518 yards, 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions. While he has had moments of struggle, especially when he threw multiple interceptions in losses to San Diego State, Duke and Virginia, he has also shown moments of greatness, proving why he was such a highly touted prospect.

Against Stanford, expect the Golden Bears to throw the ball a lot, but also expect the Cardinal to be ready for whatever comes their way. JKS may be a superstar, but in Stanford's mind, rattling him and making him look like a freshman could be a key to victory.

LB Cade Uluave

A three-star recruit out of Mountain Ridge High School in Utah, Uluave started his college career as a special teamer but after an injury to one of Cal's starting linebackers, Uluave quickly became an integral part of the defense.

And after winning Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors, it was all uphill for Uluave, who became a key part of Cal's defense. And this season, Uluave is breaking out even more.

Currently having 81 total tackles (31 solo) and three sacks, Uluave has been a stud all year long and is evolving into a legitimate NFL draft prospect. Cal's defense will be one to watch this week, and with Uluave being the marquee player, expect to see him fly around the field and make plays.

WR Jacob de Jesus

One of the Cal's strongest positions is wide receiver, with de Jesus and Trond Grizzell leading the way for the Golden Bears. But it is de Jesus that has consistently created problems for teams since the start of his college days dating back to UNLV, where he spent the first two seasons of his career. Now in his first season at Cal, he is currently the team's leading receiver in multiple categories.

Having 73 catches for 699 yards and four touchdowns, de Jesus has been a very valuable weapon for Sagapolutele and is a big reason why the true freshman has found his footing with Cal so early.

Coming off of his best game of the season in an upset overtime win over Louisville, where he caught 16 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown, de Jesus has a lot of confidence going into Big Game and will surely look to build off of his performance last week. Stanford will need to make sure that they defend de Jesus very tightly.

By the Numbers

128 - Number of Big Games That Have Been Played

Set to meet for the 128th time in each of their school's history, the Stanford-Cal rivalry is the sixth most played in college football. Stanford has won 65 times, owning a 31-23-1 record as the home team. The first ever meeting between the schools was in 1892, with Stanford winning 14-10.

2020 - Last Time Stanford Beat Cal

Winning five out of the last six Big Games, Stanford has not won a game against Cal since the 2020 season, where in the COVID-shortened campaign, Stanford won 24-23 in Berkeley en route to a 4-2 finish and a third place finish in the Pac-12. This is the last time that Stanford finished a season with a winning record.

1933 - Year that the Axe became the official trophy of Big Game

The axe made its first appearance in 1899 as a 12-inch lumberjack's axe, but in 1933, it became the official trophy of the rivalry and was the first year that it was awarded to the winner of Big Game. Since then, it has become symbolic with the game and is a very, very prized award that is protected with utmost respect by whichever school takes it home in a given year.

Score Prediction

Cal 24, Stanford 21

Last season, Stanford suffered a heartbreaking collapse at the hands of the Golden Bears, losing 24-21 after being up 21-7. The loss represented just one of many issues that surrounding a 2024 Stanford team that went 3-9 and lost to San José State the very next week, before firing head coach Troy Taylor right before spring practice.

This year, they're expected to announce a new head coach right after the season ends.

Last year's game was a disaster for the Cardinal and with new leadership taking them into the game this season, that could spark something in them this season to take home a win.

While the Cardinal have improved in many ways this season, the Golden Bears have shown this season that they are still the better team and are in a different phase of their rebuild than the Cardinal.

The Cardinal will still come out ready to fight so that they can win this game, but with their bowl hopes essentially over, they are not really playing for much else in 2025.

Cal, on the other hand, is playing for a better bowl game and still have a lot at stake this season. That could spell trouble for the Cardinal. It may be a close game, but the Golden Bears seem like the favorites to come out on top.