California vs. Stanford — Christian McCaffrey and Jared Goff star

California vs. Stanford is one of college football’s most legendary matchups, and this year features two of the best in the game in Christian McCaffrey and Jared Goff.

California vs. Stanford is a legendary matchup, known universally by this play…

One of the greatest plays in college football history highlights a matchup that has been recently dominated by Stanford, but that could change now that Cal has a big time quarterback in Jared Goff.

These are two teams that have produced some of the best talent in NFL history, especially some of its most recent star players. Going all the way back to players like Jim Plunkett at Stanford, or Craig Morton of Cal, and into NFL legends like John Elway (Stanford), Tony Gonzalez (Cal), and John Lynch (Stanford) to some of the more recent NFL stars — Aaron Rodgers (Cal), Andrew Luck (Stanford), Marshawn Lynch (Cal), and who could forget Richard Sherman (Stanford)?

There are so many players in the history of each of these two teams, that it makes appreciating their week 12 matchup that much easier. You don’t want to miss this week’s game either, because you get to see a future starting quarterback in the NFL in Cal’s Jared Goff and the son of former Stanford and Denver Broncos legend Ed McCaffery — Christian McCaffery — put on a show offensively for each team.

Goff and McCaffery are the highlight in this game, but there’s plenty to love about both teams. Kenny Lawler is one of my favorite receivers in the country, despite putting up fairly modest numbers compared to some of the other players at his position, but he consistently makes plays like this…

And this…

That guy is a freak, and he’s only a junior. He’s got a really bright future ahead, and don’t be surprised if he bolts to the NFL this offseason along with his QB, who is probably going to be a high first round pick.

Another player who is making a case for being a first round pick at some point is the Heisman candidate (yep) at Stanford. Andrew Luck never won a Heisman, and Christian McCaffrey might not either, but he’s making a heck of a case this season…

The second leading rusher on Stanford is Barry Sanders, the son of — well, you get the picture. If those two aren’t reason enough to watch… Somehow, Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan is playing out of his mind. Going into this season, he was an NFL afterthought in my mind, but now he’s giving me second thoughts with 18 touchdowns along with a 67.6 percent completion percentage. We all know Hogan is able to make plays with his legs, but he’s proving his worth as a QB this season as well. He’s also a tough SOB.

Speaking of sons of former NFL players, the leading tackler for the Cal Golden Bears is Hardy Nickerson. Buccaneers fans might recognize that name from some of their great defensive units.

Quick Hits

– Stanford is fresh off of a loss against Oregon, while Cal won its first game in a month after losing four straight

– Funniest name: Aziz Shittu (Stanford)