Wk 12 · 2026
Stanford Cardinal at California Golden Bears — Sat, Nov 21
Sat, Nov 21 ·
California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CA
Weather
No forecast yet. This one is 40 days away and has no kickoff time yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
ACC · 2-4
at
TBDET
no line posted yet
Ratings differential CAL by 11.9
ACC · 3-3
What is at stake
The Big Game. The Big Game, the Stanford Axe, and the only rivalry whose most famous ending involved a marching band on the field during a live play. They play for the Stanford Axe. A ACC game — it counts in the standings that decide that league's championship game. Run the race.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
Stanford form
L 7-58at NDL 3-57at WAKEW 34-27vs GTL 7-35at DUKEL 6-45vs MIA
2026 season
California form
W 25-20vs VTL 31-39at UNLVL 10-24vs CLEMW 49-7vs WAGW 21-18at SYR
2026 season
Stanford this season
Straight up2-4 · 33% (6 games)
Against the spread2-4 · 33% (6 games)
Over / under5-1 · 83% (6 games)
California this season
Straight up3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Against the spread2-4 · 33% (6 games)
Over / under2-4 · 33% (6 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 4
| Opponent | Stanford | California |
|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest ACC | at L 3-57 preview | vs Wk 7 · scheduled preview |
| NC State ACC | vs Wk 8 · scheduled preview | at Wk 9 · scheduled preview |
| Virginia Tech ACC | at Wk 11 · scheduled preview | vs W 25-20 preview |
| SMU ACC | vs Wk 13 · scheduled preview | at Wk 8 · scheduled preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Stanford leads 12–8 · Stanford won the last one
20 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
5.2 points toward Stanford
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2025-11-22 | California 10 — 31 Stanford | at STAN | Stanford |
| 2024 | 2024-11-23 | Stanford 21 — 24 California | at CAL | California |
| 2023 | 2023-11-18 | California 27 — 15 Stanford | at STAN | California |
| 2022 | 2022-11-19 | Stanford 20 — 27 California | at CAL | California |
| 2021 | 2021-11-20 | California 41 — 11 Stanford | at STAN | California |
| 2020 | 2020-11-27 | Stanford 24 — 23 California | at CAL | Stanford |
| 2019 | 2019-11-23 | California 24 — 20 Stanford | at STAN | California |
| 2018 | 2018-12-01 | Stanford 23 — 13 California | at CAL | Stanford |
| 2017 | 2017-11-18 | California 14 — 17 Stanford | at STAN | Stanford |
| 2016 | 2016-11-19 | Stanford 45 — 31 California | at CAL | Stanford |
| 2015 | 2015-11-21 | California 22 — 35 Stanford | at STAN | Stanford |
| 2014 | 2014-11-22 | Stanford 38 — 17 California | at CAL | Stanford |
| 2013 | 2013-11-23 | California 13 — 63 Stanford | at STAN | Stanford |
| 2012 | 2012-10-20 | Stanford 21 — 3 California | at CAL | Stanford |
| 2011 | 2011-11-19 | California 28 — 31 Stanford | at STAN | Stanford |
| 2010 | 2010-11-20 | Stanford 48 — 14 California | at CAL | Stanford |
| 2009 | 2009-11-21 | California 34 — 28 Stanford | at STAN | California |
| 2008 | 2008-11-22 | Stanford 16 — 37 California | at CAL | California |
| 2007 | 2007-12-01 | California 13 — 20 Stanford | at STAN | Stanford |
| 2006 | 2006-12-02 | Stanford 17 — 26 California | at CAL | California |
Stanford leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Davis Warren QB #8 | 102/173, 1207 YDS, 5 TD, 1 INT |
| Michael Mitchell Jr. QB #9 | 5/8, 32 YDS | |
| Rushing | Micah Ford RB #20 | 82 CAR, 302 YDS, 4 TD |
| Sedrick Irvin RB #26 | 35 CAR, 145 YDS | |
| Champ Hampton RB #34 | 6 CAR, 27 YDS | |
| Receiving | Caden High WR #0 | 17 REC, 266 YDS, 3 TD |
| Benji Blackburn TE #88 | 20 REC, 159 YDS | |
| Zion Robinson WR #2 | 7 REC, 155 YDS | |
| Nico Brown WR #23 | 10 REC, 148 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Matt Rose LB #35 | 38 |
| Jay Green S #5 | 31 | |
| Sam Mattingly LB #10 | 24 | |
| Sacks | Gabe Kaminski LB #49 | 2 |
| Omar Staples DL #45 | 1.5 | |
| Sam Mattingly LB #10 | 0.5 | |
| Interceptions | Brandon Nicholson CB #9 | 1 |
| Darrius Davis S #6 | 1 | |
| Charlie Eckhardt S #39 | 1 |
California leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele QB #3 | 107/164, 1180 YDS, 8 TD, 5 INT |
| Jackson Brousseau QB #11 | 29/48, 299 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Rushing | Adam Mohammed RB #24 | 73 CAR, 336 YDS, 3 TD |
| Ashten Emory RB #20 | 28 CAR, 103 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Tyree Sams WR #81 | 3 CAR, 28 YDS | |
| Receiving | Ian Strong WR #9 | 23 REC, 299 YDS, 1 TD |
| Chase Hendricks WR #7 | 32 REC, 267 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Adam Mohammed RB #24 | 17 REC, 168 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Mason Mini TE #85 | 12 REC, 152 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Kingston Lopa DB #2 | 29 |
| AJ Tuitele LB #9 | 27 | |
| Tristan Jernigan LB #32 | 25 | |
| Sacks | AJ Tuitele LB #9 | 3 |
| Daniel Harris DB #7 | 2 | |
| Nate Burrell DL #98 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Kingston Lopa DB #2 | 5 |
| Aiden Manutai DB #14 | 1 | |
| Isaiah Crosby DB #23 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.