Posts: 483
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Joined: Dec 1969
I admit I hesitated in posting this, because it's old and anecdotal, but here goes.
In 1980, Stanford was a prohibitive favorite going into Big Game:
- Stanford was 6-4 and would be headed to the Peach Bowl with a win
- C.al was 2-8 and their head coach (Roger Theder) was expected to be fired soon after
- Stanford had big stars on offense:Â Elway, Margerum, Nelson, Naber
- C.al's starting QB, Rich Campbell, was out with a broken leg, to be replaced by a QB who had thrown a handful of passes in his career
We know what happened. The biggest upset at the time in the history of Big Game, 28-23.Â
Six years later, Stanford was an even more prohibitive favorite:
- Stanford at 7-2 had their invitation to a post season game, the Gator Bowl
- C.al was 1-9 and their head coach (Joe Kapp) had already been fired
- Stanford was loaded on offense with Paye, Muster, Jeff James
- C.als starting QB, Troy Taylor, was out, replaced by a QB who had thrown a handful of passes in his career
And yes, history repeated itself. The team came out flat, and lost 17-11. Probably the most disappointed in all the 45 Big Games I've witnessed in person.
And what else did these Big Games have in common? Stanford had a bye the week before. Does C.al have an advantage in being off? You can take this for whatever it's worth.