Saturday is what is known around these here parts as "the Big Game," a kinda cute nickname for a game usually not of any importance to anyone other to us NorCal folks. This game, in particular, doesn't have much going for it as Stanford, with the exception of the 'SC upset, hasn't been very good and Cal has been more disappointing than Fred Thompson's candidacy. Nevertheless, the game is always pretty exciting and full of tradition-- all the things that makes college football what it is. ...

In lieu of the NFL trying to trademark the words "Big Game," we are going to do our best to honor them by using the phrase "Big Game" as much as possible. -The Warriors once again get blown out on the road, this time to the Chicago Bulls in their BIg Game. Even Don Nelson seems to be throwing in the towel about playing in all of those Big Games in the playoffs. ...

The Oakland Raiders' 2006 slog of a season continues this Sunday at the Coliseum with their Week 15 scrap with the St. Louis Rams. Plenty of good tickets still available for the game. Well, there must be tickets, since the NFL is blacking the game out on TV....

When it comes to Cal's Big Game win, we had more than one reason to smile, since we graduated from Cal. One fraternity decided to tell the world they have big dicks oh no wait it's that Cal is bigger than Stanford. Mmmmmkay. More fun photos below.......

It's official down on The Farm. In a story that we broke more than two months ago, ESPN.com and others are reporting that Stanford has fired head football coach Walt Harris. Hate to say it Main Stream Media, but we told you so.

Stadium issues aren't just affecting Bay Area professional teams, but college teams too. There's a fight going on about renovating Cal's Memorial Stadium that's been going on for the past few months. And it's even taken an "Only in Berkeley" angle: to protest the planned cutting down of some Oak trees, activists went all Julia Butterfly Hill and camped out on them before the Big Game. ...

* Houston vs. Oakland Sunday, December 3, 2006. 1:15 PM, PST. Week 13 The Battle Of The Trough After losing four straight games to every team in the AFC West and one franchise that used to be in the division for good measure (@SEA; DEN; @KC; @ SD), the Raiders limp home. In uglier times early on this season before the wins versus ARI and PIT, this Week 13 game against the flailing Houston Texans had been projected as the Raiders' best chance to get a win....

-Glenn Dickey says Stanford coach Walt Harris will be fired after the Big Game. We said that months ago. Jake Curtis sums up the pros and cons of firing him and Ray Ratto says the obvious-- that Harris is under a lot of pressure. ...

In honor of this week's Big Game, we're going to give you The Play. If there was ever a crazier ending to any sporting event, we have no idea what. Oh, and if you want a 3-d rendering of the play, go here. It's pretty cool too....

Ian over at WULAD must have smoked some Ombuds before deconstructing some political graffiti. Dinah Sanders explains her votes in the election -- before a new TV campaign from Herr Governator can get to her. In a mood to protest, but not to get off the couch? The UK brings us two technologies to let folks tele-protest via SMS. Ever had a domain hijacked? The guy who forged documents to steal sex.com from a......

In the most anticipated game of the season for Bay Area football fans, the Cal Bears manhandled the Stanford Cardinal, 41-6. J.J. Arrington put together yet another 100-yard game, but red-shirt freshman Marshawn Lynch stole the show, running for 122 yards -- including an electrifying 55-yard touchdown run -- and completing a 20-yard pass to for a score. Cal plays their makeup game on December 4th in Mississippi, but are otherwise at the mercy of......

Sure, everyone's talking about the Big Game. But what about the little game? High school football playoffs in the Central Coast Section (Spartan Spirit!) start tonight (maybe) but not without controversy. SFist got a bit of a headache understanding it all but it seems that parents of the Scotts Valley High team are taking the CCS to court looking for an injunction to stop the playoffs from proceeding without their team. The Scotts Valley......

It's the Big Game this weekend! Guess who's not excited about it? ...

The Niners scored yet another come from ahead loss on Sunday, even though they were the host and favorite to beat the struggling Carolina Panthers. Instead they squandered a 17-point lead, allowing the 30th-ranked Panthers offense to rack up 34 points in the second half to lose 37-27. Obviously a lost season, the 49ers will have to struggle if they want to win more games than the 1978 and 1979 clubs. They head to Tampa......

Weekly wrapup of local football action....

The Star-Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812 on the back of an envelope as he saw with pride that the American flag still flew over Baltimore's embattled Fort McHenry. If Cal stirs similar feelings in you -- can you see that banner doth waving? The Cal band is sponsoring a contest for you to write the lyrics to the new UC Berkeley fight song....