Every 31 Years, History Repeats Itself

The blog Tightwad Hill has shot up to the top of my list for favorite blogs. This comparison between Cal's 28-14 victory over USC in 1975 is great reading for all Bear fans. We are humbled by the knowledge of those that came before us. (Click here for entire article)

In our review of Cal victories over the Trojans, we were struck by the eerie similarities between this week's game and the 1975 contest between the two schools. In 1975:

• Cal was led by a highly-regarded QB in his first year as the starter (Joe Roth)
• Cal featured a dominant running back who received Heisman attention (Chuck Muncie)
• Cal was an offense-first, big-play team with a suspect defense
• The Bears were led by a young, innovative coach who had come to Berkeley from an assistant job with a conference rival (Mike White - Stanford)
• Cal was coming off a disappointing road loss in the prior game (UCLA)
• Cal had lost its season opener to a non-conference power (Colorado)
• USC was a three-time defending conference champion
• The Trojans were led by a head coach who had won multiple national championships, and was the subject of constant rumors that he was heading for the pros (John McKay)
• USC was rated in the Top 5 (#4), but had been somewhat inconsistent in its play
• Despite that inconsistency, SC was coming off a big, reassuring victory (at Notre Dame)
• USC was the clear favorite in the game
• (just for fun) Ohio State was the consensus #1 team in the nation, and a Buckeye was the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy (Archie Griffin)