USC Football: USC’s biggest enemies in the 1970’s
By Jason Elbaum
Stanford Cardinal
The Stanford-USC rivalry is one of the oldest in college football, with the schools playing their first matchup in 1905. Since then, the Trojans have essentially dominated the series, with the exceptions coming during the 1970’s and from 2009-2012 while Stanford was led by current Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.
After 12 straight victories for the Trojans, Stanford showed they were fed up with losing and began the 1970’s with two consecutive victories, thus reigniting the rivalry. Prior to the 1972 edition of the game, John McKay referred to Stanford and it’s fans as having “no class” and stated that he would “like to beat them by 2,000 points.”
Long-time Stanford assistant and head coach Jack Christiansen responded to McKay’s comments by saying he wouldn’t “get into a urinating contest with a skunk.”
USC ended up winning that game 30-21 despite the jabs exchanged by the head coaches. The Trojans went on to win five of the next six matchups leading up to an epic game in 1979. Charles White’s USC team was ranked number one in the nation coming into the game and led 21-0 at the half.
Stanford came storming back in the second half and the game ended in a 21-21 tie. USC would drop to fourth in the rankings and finish the season second in the AP Poll, making Stanford the ultimate spoilers of USC’s second consecutive national title.