Unless you’re congenitally opposed to looking at a sports page, you probably know that the 113th Big Game between Cal and Stanford kicks off at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow at Memorial Stadium. Cal is a humdrum 5-5 for the season, while Stanford is ranked seventh in the nation, with a 9-1 record. Stanford’s only loss was at Oregon, the nation’s number one team, earlier in the season. But Cal had the Ducks quacking for mercy last Saturday before an unlikely missed field goal tossed away the upset (Cal’s performance in that game was good enough that it’s seen as a model for how other teams can upend Oregon).
The football game isn’t the only Big event this weekend. You could see Cal’s top-ranked water polo team take on number 5 Stanford in the Big Splash at the Spieker Aquatics Complex tonight at 6 p.m. The Bears, 20-2, have already beaten Stanford twice this season, but will be eager to take the Steve Heaston Trophy.
Following some water polo, you could rush over to the 72nd Big Spike at Haas Pavilion between women’s volleyball number 4 Cal and number 2 Stanford. Cal is 23-2 and Stanford is 22-2, and Cal already beat Stanford in Palo Alto (so don’t ask me why Cal is ranked below the Cardinal). If Cal does win, it will be the first season sweep of their rivals since 1979.
If you’re not exhausted by Sunday, you could wander down to Edward’s Stadium at 1:30 p.m. to see the number 6 Cal men’s soccer team take on UC Santa Barbara in the second round of the NCAA Division I soccer tournament. It’s not a Big game, but it is a big game for the Bears.
