On Tuesday, Stanford head coach David Shaw spoke to the media and confirmed that starting quarterback Tanner McKee is probable for The Big Game on Saturday against Cal. Linebacker Ricky Miezan, tight end/defensive end Tucker Fisk, cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly, and safety Jonathan McGill are probable as well. Obviously, the return of all those guys is key for Stanford, but Tanner McKee is the name that jumps out.

When McKee was ruled out for the Utah game, there was some speculation that his season could be done and that there may have been a fracture to his knee cap. Those speculations appear to be off as McKee was seen off crutches last week with only a brace on his knee walking off the practice field. The fact that McKee was off crutches was a really good sign and an indicator that he could possibly be a go for this week. Still, there was some suspense going into Shaw’s Tuesday media availability about McKee’s status. To hear that he is probable for all intents and purposes indicates he’s a go for Saturday. Everyone who Shaw has listed in the probable category all season long has gone on to play.

After seeing how Stanford played against Utah and Oregon State without McKee, the vibe going into Big Game Week was that it all hinged on McKee and his knee. If he plays, Stanford has hope. If he doesn’t, Cal likely brings The Axe back to Berkeley. It’s really that simple.

The reason why is obvious. Tanner McKee is a legit superstar quarterback in the making. He makes everyone around him better, has a great command of the huddle, and when he’s in there, the offense flows ten times better. Without him, the offense has almost come to a grinding halt. Every possession without him under center has been an adventure and not the kind of adventure that Stanford wants to go on.

Isaiah Sanders has been solid in his role as an option quarterback that can move the chains with his legs, but he’s only really effective when he’s a compliment to McKee. Ari Patu showed some positive flashes before he went out, but he’s not nearly at Tanner’s level. And then Jack West and Dylan Plautz are what they are. Not any more needs to be said about them.

By having McKee back, there’s hope for Stanford’s offense to put up enough points to beat Cal. There’s hope for Benjamin Yurosek to get rolling, for Bryce Farrell to go deep and take one to the house, and not to mention the pressure it takes off the running game. And then there’s the defense. With McKee back, they can have more confidence in getting the rest they need on the sidelines to stay fresh and also be rewarded for any clutch stops that they do get.

All of this is to say that by having Tanner McKee back, Stanford now has a chance to win. They have legitimate life. There’s a spring in their step that they should have that they wouldn’t have had without him. This game has gone from being a likely cakewalk for Cal to being a toss-up all because of McKee’s newfound availability. If that doesn’t speak volumes for how important McKee is to this Stanford team, I don’t know what does.

Note: On Wednesday evening, David Shaw told CardinalSportsReport.com that McKee is up, meaning he looks even better than he did going into Tuesday’s media availability.