The Stanford Cardinal may have had their College Football Playoff hopes dashed, but they can still clinch the Pac-12 North with a win over in-state rival Cal on this weekend. Here are three reasons why Stanford is guaranteed to do just that:
3) Series history
Stanford has beaten Cal five times in a row, outscoring the Golden Bears 122-33 over that span. That sort of dominance doesn't just flip overnight - not with this game being held at Stanford. Cal has a lot of demons they need to overcome to beat the Cardinal, and history tells us that won't happen.
2) Cal's terrible defense
Cal is just 1-4 over their last five games, and their lackluster defense is the biggest reason why. They rank 106th in the country in total defense (allowing 452.2 points per game) and 77th in scoring defense (27.7 points allowed per game). On the flip side, Stanford's offense averages nearly 450 yards per game and 37 points per outing. This one could get ugly real quick.
1) Christian McCaffrey
McCaffrey is still the country's leader in all-purpose yards, getting over 250 again in their loss to Oregon. His combination of speed, quickness, and power make him extremely tough to bring down - especially against a bad-tackling team like Cal. Expect Stanford to get him the ball as much as possible on Saturday, and expect McCaffrey to deliver in a BIG way.