Stanford football has suffered through 4 consecutive 3-9 seasons. By my calculations, that .250 wins/game average is the second-worst four-year streak in school history--1958 through 1961 Stanford went 2-8, 3-7, 0-10 (!) and 4-6 for a .225 average.
If we go back to 2019, the season following Stanford's most recent bowl appearance, the wins/game average is .303, the third-worst six-year streak in school history. The worst is 1958-1963--2-8, 3-7, 0-10, 4-6, 5-5 and 3-7 for a .283 average; second worst is 2002-2007--2-9, 4-7, 4-7, 5-6, 1-11, 4-8 for a .294 average.
The good news is that both previous nadirs were followed by significant improvements, as opposed to sustained mediocrity or worse. The Jack Curtice-led swoon of 1958-1962 was followed by the glory years of College Hall of Fame coach John Ralston, who, from 1963-1971 compiled a 55-36-3 record and back-to-back Rose Bowl wins. The Buddy-Walt years were followed by Jim Harbaugh's resurgence and a full decade of winning football.
So what will the 2025 season bring? Will we suffer another losing season and possibly establish the worst stretch of football results in school history? Will Frank Reich steady the ship in a transition year that will lead to another period of sustained success? There have been a smattering of divergent opinions, but the purpose of this poll is to collect the predictions of a broader swath of the CardBoard community.
If we go back to 2019, the season following Stanford's most recent bowl appearance, the wins/game average is .303, the third-worst six-year streak in school history. The worst is 1958-1963--2-8, 3-7, 0-10, 4-6, 5-5 and 3-7 for a .283 average; second worst is 2002-2007--2-9, 4-7, 4-7, 5-6, 1-11, 4-8 for a .294 average.
The good news is that both previous nadirs were followed by significant improvements, as opposed to sustained mediocrity or worse. The Jack Curtice-led swoon of 1958-1962 was followed by the glory years of College Hall of Fame coach John Ralston, who, from 1963-1971 compiled a 55-36-3 record and back-to-back Rose Bowl wins. The Buddy-Walt years were followed by Jim Harbaugh's resurgence and a full decade of winning football.
So what will the 2025 season bring? Will we suffer another losing season and possibly establish the worst stretch of football results in school history? Will Frank Reich steady the ship in a transition year that will lead to another period of sustained success? There have been a smattering of divergent opinions, but the purpose of this poll is to collect the predictions of a broader swath of the CardBoard community.
If there's one thing people have learned in Berkeley, it's that you can't put "Cal football" and "Rose Bowl" in the same sentence. The words just don't fit. You'd be better off linking "covered wagons" with "Mars travel." (Bruce Jenkins, Cal '70, SF Chronicle, Nov. 11, 2017)

