Football: Kings of California - Printable Version

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Football: Kings of California - Papa John - 02-05-2021

Back in the Harbaugh era, Stanford football players--it might have been Tavita Pritchard?--placed an emphasis on beating in-state competition. As I recall, a clean sweep would earn them the moniker "Kings of California." For some reason, I thought of this the other night when I was watching a replay of the Stanford-UCLA game.

Stanford beat UCLA and Cal in 2020, giving it a 2-0 record versus in-state teams. USC was 1-0, UCLA was 1-1 and Cal was 0-2. Does that make 2020 a "King" year? Based on the definition above, it would be a co-King year with Stanford and USC. In any case, I thought I would track the King years back to Harbaugh's tenure:
2019: USC (Stanford 0-3!)
2018: Stanford (4-0 includes win vs SDSU)
2017: USC (Stanford 2-3 includes loss to SDSU and loss to USC in Pac-12 champ game)
2016: Stanford (3-0)
2015: Stanford (4-0 includes win vs USC in Pac-12 champ game)
2014: No King (UCLA 2-1 includes loss to Stanford; USC 3-1 includes loss to UCLA, win vs Fresno St; Stanford 3-1 includes loss to USC, win vs UC Davis)
2013: No King (UCLA 2-1 includes loss to Stanford; USC 3-1 includes loss to UCLA, win vs Fresno St; Stanford 3-1 includes loss to USC, win vs SJSU)
2012: Stanford (5-0 includes win vs SJSU and UCLA in Pac-12 champ game)
2011: Stanford (4-0 includes win vs SJSU)
2010: Stanford (4-0 includes win vs Sac State)
2009: No King (USC 3-1 includes win vs SJSU and loss to Stanford; Cal 2-1 includes loss to USC; Stanford 3-1 includes win vs SJSU and loss to Cal)
2008: USC (Stanford 1-3 includes win vs SJSU)
2007: No King (USC 2-1 includes loss to Stanford; UCLA 2-1 includes loss to USC; Stanford 3-1 includes loss to UCLA, win vs SJSU)

So in the fourteen seasons of the Harbaugh-Shaw era, there have been ten Kings if you count 2020 as shared between Stanford and USC:
Stanford: 6.5
USC: 3.5
UCLA: 0
Cal: 0

In the ten seasons from 2010-2019, Stanford had six Kings to USC's two!

Even if you don't count 2020, that's still one helluva run for Stanford. I spot-checked the other seasons since 1925--when Stanford first played UCLA and won 82-0--and in which we beat USC. I found Stanford King seasons as follows:
2001
1996
1992
1991
1957
1940
1933
1926 (although we didn't play UCLA that year, we did beat Fresno St, CalTech(!), Occidental, Olympic Club(?), USC, Santa Clara and Cal).

The only other period that comes close to the current run was from 1991-2001 when, through 11 seasons, Stanford was King of California four times.

Amongst the close calls:
In 1999 and 1971, Stanford beat USC, UCLA and Cal but lost to SJSU. 
In 1934, Stanford beat USC, UCLA, Cal, SJSU, U. of San Francisco but tied Santa Clara.

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RE: Football: Kings of California - Spiny_Norman - 02-05-2021

(02-05-2021, 02:38 PM)Papa John Wrote:  Even if you don't count 2020, that's still one helluva run for Stanford. I spot-checked the other seasons since 1925--when Stanford first played UCLA and won 82-0--and in which we beat USC. I found Stanford King seasons as follows:
2001
1996
1992
1991
1957
1940
1933
1926 (although we didn't play UCLA that year, we did beat Fresno St, CalTech(!), Occidental, Olympic Club(?), USC, Santa Clara and Cal).

Between 1957 and 1991, Stanford only beat USC 3 times. Since 1991, Stanford is 15-16 vs. the Trojans. Much more competitive. If you want to be the Kings of California, you have to beat the Trojans.

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