Stanford seeks redemption in Big Game

If there’s a going-into-battle song blaring over the stadium loud speakers in Palo Alto this weekend, it should be “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” by Judas Priest.

Because seriously, how come everyone decided that the Cardinal were no good after their first loss of the season last weekend? One bad game in an otherwise perfect season, and suddenly Andrew Luck’s stock has plummeted and the dreams of a national championship are not even on the radar.

It’s redemption time for the Stanford pack.

And what better stage, I ask you, for a comeback than The Big Game?

It’s no surprise that the 6-4 Golden Bears felt a bit of a boost after the Cardinal’s widely-broadcasted stumble against the Oregon Ducks last week. But Berkeley’s lukewarm season isn’t going to turn into them into a bowl-game-caliber play just because Stanford woke up with the hiccups last Saturday.

Best believe that the Cardinal will have to keep their heads on straight this week, and keep in mind how up-to-par their play has been up until Week 10. They still have a high FBS ranking, averaging about 46 points a game compared to Cal’s 28 points. They’re ranked 10th in total yards against Cal’s 42nd. And as much as the press wants to tear down Andrew Luck, the guy still has a 70.6 completion percentage with 29 touchdowns for 2,680 yards.

And, in the grand history of the Big Game, Stanford has 56 wins over Cal’s 46.

Trevor Matich said it best on ESPN’s College Football Live: “Cal is a good team. Stanford’s better.”

And if blaring revenge tunes over the Stanford Stadium speakers helps the Cards get into that frame of mind, then I’m all for it.

Additional sources:

• Stanford stats
• Berkeley stats
• CFL Preview video