Oski, Cal Marching Band drum up spirit ahead of Cal, Stanford big game

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- With alumni of both schools abound in the Bay Area, both sides of the Bay go a little crazy for the Big Game.

On Saturday, November 23, Stanford will host UC Berkeley for the 122nd meeting of these two Bay Area rival schools on the football field. A lot is on the line.

This year, although struggling with injuries, both teams have hopes for a postseason bowl game. But when it's Cal vs. Stanford, the ultimate prize is school pride. And of course, there's the Stanford Axe. The winner of the game gets to hold onto it as a trophy until the next meeting.

RELATED: The never-before-told story of the 1960 Cal-Stanford axe heist

Over the decades, students at both schools have pulled off heists of the Axe and other pranks, all in good fun. Stanford leads the series 64-46-11 and has won the last 9 match-ups. But Cal won one of the most memorable games ever in college football history in 1982, in a crazy conclusion forever known as "the Play."

To celebrate the tradition, ABC7 News invited Cal and Stanford's mascots and marching bands to join us on Midday Live for some pre-game fun.

Stanford was not able to join us, but ABC7 News anchor and UC Berkeley alumna Kristen Sze showed off her school spirit in this segment featuring Cal's mascot Oski and a battle of the bands.