Stanford Cardinal vs California Golden Bears

The Stanford Cardinal are getting hot at exactly the right time and may have done their conference a favor by assuring that it would have a new champion for the first time since USC started their roll of winning seven straight conference titles by throttling the Trojans on their home field last week. This week they will turn their attention to their arch rivals, the California Golden Bears on Saturday.

Stanford (7-3, 6-2) has amassed 106 points over their past two weeks against big named teams from their conference and have put themselves in the position of, with help, winning their first conference title since 1998.

The Cardinals have steamrolled through the top two teams in the Pac-10, beating then seventh-ranked Oregon, 51-42, at home on November 7, and then knocking out then 11th ranked USC 55-21 last week.

If 17th-ranked Stanford can win the conference by beating California (7-3, 4-3) this week in the Pac-10 finale and dispatching a reeling Notre Dame team next week with both games on their home field. They also need Oregon, Oregon State and Arizona to lose one over the next couple weeks. They have already qualified for their first bowl game since 2001.

Jim Harbaugh has been instrumental in the turnaround. He has taken them from an 1-11 season, before he arrived, into a conference contender. He also irritated the usual class of the conference by going for a failed two-point conversion in the blowout against the Trojans, a move that caused some hostitilites between Harbaugh and USC coach Pete Carroll.

His success in Stanford has caused many to wonder when he will bolt the program for a more prestigious job, such as his alma mater, Michigan, which could open up soon. But Harbaugh has repeated his love for the university and the program and the athletic director has reported a contract extension is on the horizon.

All these good feelings could come crashing down with a loss to their rival, the California Golden Bears. Though it will be difficult for them as they will be without their best player, Jahvid Best, again after sustaining two concussions in eight days.

California will miss Best’s 867 yards this season, although backup Shane Vereen picked up the pace quite nicely, running for 159 yards with a key 61-yard touchdown late in the game to ice a 24-16 win over Arizona last week.

Cal has dominated the series, winning six of the last seven, but Stanford won their last home game in the series, 20-13, in 2007.