Go Bears!

There may be a lot of big games but there is only one Big Game. And that is Cal vs. Stanford. The first Big Game on March 19, 1892 on San Francisco's Haight Street grounds when Stanford beat Cal 14–10. It is the tenth longest rivalry in NCAA Division 1 football. Stanford leads the series record at 55–46–11 (wins–losses–ties). Cal won the most recent Big Game on November 21, 2009 by a score of 34–28. Cal has won seven of the last eight Big Games, following a seven game winning streak by Stanford. The location of the Big Game alternates between the two universities every year. In even-numbered years, the game is played at Berkeley, while in odd-numbered years, it is played at Stanford. There are also other competitions between the schools like "The Big Splash" (water polo), "The Big Spike" (volleyball),"The Big Freeze" (ice hockey), and "The Big Sweep" (Quidditch).

Us die-hard Bears fans like to think we are giving those privileged private-school golf-playing preppies a drudging when we win. It is therefore the more horrible when we don't.

Moe and Grace hosting a pre-Big Game party for 25 friends and Cal fans (no Cardinal red today). The outlook, Moe and I agree, not good: Stanford has the best quarterback in college football - Andrew Luck - and ranked #6 in the nation with a 9-1 record. Plus it is overcast and raining, Grace tells me. In short, perfect conditions for an upset. Go Bears!