Many of us on this board can remember how USC dominated Stanford in the '60s, '70s, and 80s. USC had a record of 29-3-1 against Stanford during those years (1958-90). Beating USC seemed like a nearly impossible dream in those days.
So, it has been extremely satisfying to see Stanford gain the upper hand in the rivalry in recent years. Over the last 10 seasons (2009-18), Stanford has a record of 8-4 against USC. And three of our four losses were by just 3 points. Beating USC by two touchdowns, as we did last Saturday, would have seemed unimaginable back in the day. Now, it's just another win in a growing series of wins over the Trojans.
When looking for the turning point in the rivalry, we certainly have to talk about the Greatest Upset Ever in 2007 and the What's Your Deal game in 2009. But I think you could make the case that the turning point came earlier.
Since 1991, the Stanford-USC rivalry is dead even -- 15 wins each. (Or if you eliminate USC's vacated win in 2005, Stanford has a 15-14 edge.) So the rivalry has been pretty much even for almost three decades.
Green and Walsh went 2-2 against USC during 1991-94. Willingham went 4-3 against the Trojans. Harbaugh went 3-1. Shaw has gone 6-4. The winning records of Willingham, Harbaugh, and Shaw offset the dismal record of Teevens/Harris (0-5).
I don't think anyone looked at Denny Green's win over USC in 1991 and thought it was the beginning of a new era in the rivalry. But in hindsight, maybe it was. The current 30-game era of parity is almost as long as USC's 33-game era of dominance in the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
It sure is nice to feel like we can be competitive with those guys over the long run, rather than just hoping for a miracle upset once every 5 or 10 years. Of course, it would be great to have an era of Stanford dominance. Maybe that is yet to come.
So, it has been extremely satisfying to see Stanford gain the upper hand in the rivalry in recent years. Over the last 10 seasons (2009-18), Stanford has a record of 8-4 against USC. And three of our four losses were by just 3 points. Beating USC by two touchdowns, as we did last Saturday, would have seemed unimaginable back in the day. Now, it's just another win in a growing series of wins over the Trojans.
When looking for the turning point in the rivalry, we certainly have to talk about the Greatest Upset Ever in 2007 and the What's Your Deal game in 2009. But I think you could make the case that the turning point came earlier.
Since 1991, the Stanford-USC rivalry is dead even -- 15 wins each. (Or if you eliminate USC's vacated win in 2005, Stanford has a 15-14 edge.) So the rivalry has been pretty much even for almost three decades.
Green and Walsh went 2-2 against USC during 1991-94. Willingham went 4-3 against the Trojans. Harbaugh went 3-1. Shaw has gone 6-4. The winning records of Willingham, Harbaugh, and Shaw offset the dismal record of Teevens/Harris (0-5).
I don't think anyone looked at Denny Green's win over USC in 1991 and thought it was the beginning of a new era in the rivalry. But in hindsight, maybe it was. The current 30-game era of parity is almost as long as USC's 33-game era of dominance in the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
It sure is nice to feel like we can be competitive with those guys over the long run, rather than just hoping for a miracle upset once every 5 or 10 years. Of course, it would be great to have an era of Stanford dominance. Maybe that is yet to come.