Stanford vs. Cal Football Game Rescheduled to Dec. 1 amid California Wildfires

The University of California, Berkeley announced Friday that the football game between the California Golden Bears and Stanford Cardinal originally scheduled for Saturday has been moved to Dec. 1.

The decision to reschedule was made in the midst of wildfires ravaging the state of California.

According to ESPN.com's Kyle Bonagura, "poor air quality" in Northern California due to the wildfires was the specific reason given for moving the game.

Cal athletic director Jim Knowlton explained the decision in a statement:

"We have been carefully tracking air quality in Berkeley and the Bay Area over the past week, relying on the best data and guidance available to us from medical and environmental experts. The forecasts we have received show a minimal chance of the improvement necessary to hold the game on Saturday."

Per CBS News, 66 people have died as a result of the wildfires, and a missing-persons list containing 631 names has been released.

The Cal-Stanford game will take place one day after the Pac-12 Championship Game, which is possible since both teams have been eliminated from title contention.

The Big Game between California and Stanford began in 1892, making it one of the oldest rivalries in college football.

Stanford holds a 63-46-11 lead in the series.

The Cardinal have won The Big Game in eight straight years with the Golden Bears last prevailing in 2009.

Both Stanford and California are 6-4 this season, meaning they are already bowl-eligible.

Ahead of their season-ending meeting, Stanford will face UCLA on the road next week, while California will host Colorado.