Prior to donning the Silver and Black each Sunday, many of the Raiders players were wearing different colors on Saturdays, playing for their college teams and representing their respective universities.
This time of the year in particular college rivalries run deep, so we're here to highlight some of the matchups between current Raiders teammates, but former college football foes.
The Matchup:
This week's College Football Matchup of the Week has a distinct Pac-12 flavor, as Lorenzo Alexander's California Golden Bears hit the road to take on Tony Bergstrom and Keith McGill's Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Background:
A surprise battle between two undefeated squads in the Pac-12.
The Golden Bears, led by Heisman Trophy hopeful quarterback Jared Goff fly to Utah with an impressive record of 5-0.
Through the first five weeks of the season, they've traveled to both Texas and Washington, coming home with impressive victories on both occasions.
They last took the field Saturday, sneaking by the Washington State Cougars 34-28 in Berkeley.
Similarly, the Utes come into the matchup with their Pac-12 foe without a loss on their record, sitting at 4-0.
Utah is coming off a bye after a 62-20 thrashing of the Oregon Ducks that propelled them to No. 5 in the AP Poll.
A Walk Down Memory Lane:
Alexander:After growing up in Berkeley, Alexander elected to stay close to home and attended Cal.
During his time as a Golden Bear, he was a two-time honorable mention All-Pac 10 selection and also receiving the Bick Muller Award, given to the team's most valuable defensive lineman.
Alexander majored in legal studies and also earned a spot on the Pac-10 All-Freshman team in 2001.
Bergstrom:Similarly to Alexander, Bergstrom also decided to stay close to home, and enrolled at the University of Utah after growing up in Salt Lake City.
During his career as a Ute, Bergstrom made 38 starts at right tackle, earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors as a senior.
Bergstrom was also named to the honor roll and academic all-conference team as he majored in chemical engineering.
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McGill: **After two seasons at Cerritos (Calif.) Junior College, McGill transferred to Utah where he finished his collegiate career.
During his two seasons in Salt Lake City, McGill made 34 starts for the Utes, recording 109 tackles (62 solo), with 1 fumble recovery, 2 forced fumbles, 12 INTs, 21 passes defensed and 2 blocked kicks.
McGill also led the Pac-12 in passes defensed with 12 his senior year.
Predictions:
Entering the matchup with Cal, McGill is confident in his alma mater, predicting that Utah will win by "a couple of touchdowns."
"It should be a good game, a good game for the Pac-12. I know that quarterback for Cal is pretty good, so it should be a good matchup." McGill said. "It should be a good matchup, but you're going to Utah; you have the elevation and you're going to have to deal with the crowd."
