Stanford–USC football rivalry
| First meeting | November 4, 1905 Stanford 16, USC 0 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | September 17, 2016 #7 Stanford 27, USC 10 |
| Next meeting | 2017 |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 95 |
| All-time series | USC leads, 60–32–3 |
| Largest victory | USC, 49–0 (1977) |
| Longest win streak | USC, 12 (1958–69) |
| Longest unbeaten streak | USC, 15 (1976–1990) |
| Current win streak | Stanford, 3 (2015–present) |
The Stanford–USC football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Stanford Cardinal and USC Trojans, both members of the Pac-12 Conference and the only private schools in the conference. The two teams first played in 1905 and have met nearly every year since 1919 (missing only 1921, 1924, and World War II years 1943–1945), frequently vying for the conference championship and a berth in the Rose Bowl. Stanford is USC's oldest current rival.
The rivalry began in earnest in the 1930s during a period in which USC had several undefeated seasons. A group of Stanford freshmen, after a stinging loss to an undefeated USC team, promised never to lose to USC again. The "Vow Boys" made good on their promise, winning their next 3 games against the Trojans.
For most of its history, USC dominated the series, and overall USC has won about two-thirds of the games, but the rivalry has been marked with notable incidents and expressions of disdain between the two schools. In 1972, USC coach John McKay accused Stanford and its fans of having "no class" and said he'd "like to beat Stanford by 2,000 points"; Stanford coach Jack Christiansen responded that he wouldn't "get into a urinating contest with a skunk". In 1979, Stanford came back in the last four minutes to tie #1 USC 21–21 on October 13. This game, considered one of the greatest of the 20th century, effectively cost USC a national title (they dropped to #4 in the polls afterwards). USC finished 11–0–1, but was ranked #2 in both polls due to the tie. In 1980, the Stanford Band marched onto the field accompanied by a horse skeleton on wheels, being ridden by a Trojan-helmeted human skeleton, in a parody of USC's Traveler mascot. For the 2012 game, the Stanford band leader inexplicably showed up dressed as the USC Trojan mascot.
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