California @ Stanford preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 22, 2014 ) Stanford 38, California 17

No. 15 Stanford looks to bounce back from its loss to Oregon and keep its slim College Football Playoff hopes alive with a win Saturday over visiting California in the 118th Big Game. If the Cardinal, No. 11 in the latest playoff rankings, can record their sixth straight victory over the rival Golden Bears, they’ll clinch the Pac-12 North Division and play for the conference title at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Dec. 5.

Stanford tailback Christian McCaffrey leads the nation in all-purpose yards at 241.8 per game, but his Heisman Trophy campaign suffered a setback with last week’s 38-36 loss to Oregon. The Cardinal allowed 9.1 yards per play and will need an improved effort on defense against Cal, which snapped a four-game losing streak and set a school record with 760 yards of offense in last week’s 54-24 win at Oregon State. Quarterback Jared Goff threw for 453 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Golden Bears, who became bowl eligible for the first time since 2011 with the win. Cal has been outscored 101-30 in the past two meetings against Stanford but has the firepower to keep pace with the Cardinal offense Saturday.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Stanford -11

ABOUT CAL (6-4, 3-4 Pac-12): After throwing eight interceptions during the Golden Bears’ four-game losing streak, Goff turned in a stellar outing against Oregon State and moved into eighth on the Pac-12 career list with 10,800 passing yards. Cal rushed for a season-high 307 yards against the Beavers as Tre Watson recorded a career-high 164 all-purpose yards, but the Golden Bears might have to rely on its vaunted aerial attack against a Stanford team that ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in run defense. Linebacker Kyle Kragen has five sacks to lead Cal, which is eighth in the conference against the run and could struggle to slow down McCaffrey.

ABOUT STANFORD (8-2, 7-1): Fifth-year senior Kevin Hogan threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score but lost two fumbles on snaps in the fourth quarter as Stanford saw its eight-game winning streak come to an end last week. Remound Wright, who is nearly unstoppable near the goal-line with 19 rushing touchdowns in his last 13 games, ran for 92 yards and four scores in last season’s 38-17 win over Cal. Linebacker Blake Martinez has a team-high 100 tackles to lead the defense, which could be vulnerable in the secondary with sophomore cornerback Alameen Murphy replacing injured starter Ronnie Harris (ankle).

EXTRA POINTS

1. Cal is tied for fifth in the nation in turnovers gained with 24.

2. Stanford leads the nation in time of possession (35:57) by nearly two minutes.

3. Coach Sonny Dykes is 0-11 against Stanford, USC, UCLA and Oregon in three seasons at Cal.

PREDICTION: Stanford 37, Cal 28