One of the most important aspects of college athletics is rivalries. Rivalry games always draw larger crowds and bigger ratings than non-rivalry games. No matter where you go, this is always the case. It’s just the nature of how college athletics works. Rivalry games sell. I’ve even found myself having fun watching rivalry games that I have no vested interest in and I think a lot of sports fans are the same way. Everyone likes to watch an intense rivalry game.

When talking about great rivalries in college sports, especially college football, the Cal-Stanford rivalry is always mentioned as one of the best. Last year, Athlon Sports rated it the 10th best rivalry in college football and the top rivalry among two Pac-12 programs (USC-Notre Dame was ranked 5th).

Yet despite being one of the top rivalries in college football, the future of Cal-Stanford as a rivalry is in dire straits thanks to the Pac-12 shriveling up to just four teams. Only Stanford, Cal, Washington State, and Oregon State are yet to find a permanent home for the 2024 season and beyond. Where they will go is yet to be determined.

In addition to being the highest rated rivalry on the West Coast, the Cal-Stanford rivalry also features one of the most iconic moments in any rivalry game:

The Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band coming on the field while Cal was trying to keep the final play of the game alive after a squib kick. Cal scored the game winning touchdown after a series of laterals, some of which were questionable. It’s forever known as “The Play.” And were it not for Michael Jackson dropping his Thriller album nine days later, it might have gone down as the most iconic moment of 1982.

When people think of the Cal-Stanford rivalry, that’s what first comes to their mind. The Stanford band coming on the field and Cal finding a way to score a touchdown to win 25-20. While Stanford fans aren’t happy with how that game ended, even they can’t deny it’s a moment that really can’t be topped by any other college football rivalry game.

Even though “The Play” will always go down as the most famous moment in the history of this rivalry, it’s not like Stanford and Cal haven’t had other epic battles: The 1990 Big Game victory by Stanford was a crazy 27-25 finish that has been dubbed “The Revenge” of “The Play”. The 1994 Big Game was a 24-23 victory by Cal. The 1997 Big Game was a 21-20 victory by Stanford. The 2000 Big Game was a 36-30 overtime victory by Stanford. The 2009 Big Game was a 34-28 victory by Cal that ended with an interception in the end zone (the first Big Game I ever attended). The 2011 Big Game was a 31-28 victory by Stanford. The 2019 Big Game was a 24-20 victory by Cal, and the 2020 Big Game was a 24-23 victory by Stanford. Cal has since won the last two Big Games, the most recent one being a 27-20 victory in 2022, which was the 40th anniversary game of “The Play.”

Like all rivalries, there have been stretches where one team has dominated the other. From 2002 to 2009, Cal won seven of eight Big Games. From 2010 to 2018, Stanford won nine consecutive Big Games. During those stretches of dominance, both programs had some really top notch teams:

In the 2004 Big Game, Cal was ranked #4 in the nation while in 2006, Cal was ranked #21. In 2010, Stanford was ranked #7 while in 2011, Stanford was ranked #8. In the 2013 Big Game, Stanford was ranked #10 in the nation while in 2012 and 2017, Stanford was ranked #22. Oh and not to forget one more ranked Stanford team during their most recent stretch of Big Game dominance, the 2015 team was ranked #15.

On top of having great teams, Stanford and Cal have both produced some big time NFL talents. Starting with Cal, the major names they’ve recently produced are Aaron Rodgers, DeSean Jackson, Marshawn Lynch, Keenan Allen, Jared Goff, and Jahvid Best. If you want to hit the way back machine a bit, Tony Gonzalez who is widely considered the greatest tight end of all-time played at Cal.

Some of the biggest names for Stanford who have recently come through their program are Christian McCaffrey, Andrew Luck, Richard Sherman, Zach Ertz, Davis Mills, Solomon Thomas, David DeCastro, Austin Hooper, Coby Fleener and Dalton Schultz. McCaffrey and Luck were both strong candidates to win the Heisman Trophy as were Bryce Love and Toby Gerhart. Gerhart played a few years in the NFL while Love never played in a game. If you want to hit the way back machine for Stanford, John Elway, Ed McCaffrey, and John Lynch all played for the Cardinal.

On their football merits alone, Stanford and Cal have a rich tradition and history that should add a lot of value to any major conference. Yes, they have both struggled as of late, but when you look at the big picture, there’s no reason they shouldn’t have a spot in a major conference. They form one of the most iconic rivalries in college football and frequently produce guys who end up excelling on Sundays. It’s honestly ridiculous that they are having as much of a tough time as they are.

Touching a bit more on Stanford, since the Pac-10 became the Pac-12 and played a conference championship game, Stanford won three Pac-12 championships. The only Pac-12 program with more Pac-12 championships than them during this stretch is Oregon, who has four. Stanford also won a pair of Rose Bowl titles during this time in 2013 and 2016. When you look at that, the notion that Stanford isn’t a football school or that they don’t offer value in football is patently absurd.

What’s arguably even more ludicrous is all the love for USC and UCLA. They have combined for one Pac-12 championship game victory during that same stretch (USC in 2017 against Stanford). That’s it.

Expanding out to other sports, Stanford and Cal (especially Stanford) have been excellent. Stanford baseball has been a frequent presence in the College World Series, Stanford women’s basketball and women’s volleyball are a national powerhouse, and then when it comes to any sport in a pool, both schools find a lot of success. Stanford also reclaimed the Director’s Cup this year, which is awarded to the top overall athletic program in the country.

When you look at their history, the level of talent and quality of teams that they have produced, it is clear that Stanford and Cal both belong in a power conference. It’s a joke that they’re having as much of a struggle as they are when you look at the big picture. There’s too much they offer on their athletic merits alone. And then when you tack on the world class academics and the fact that they actually care about students graduating and getting quality educations, it seems insane that they are still without a home.

Hopefully for both schools, they’ll find a home soon and that it will be in a power conference. Anything less will be a major black mark on all of college athletics and these conferences who claim they most value excellence in athletics AND academics.

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