Go Mighty Card

Images from the 2013 Rose Bowl

Entrance to the Stanford tailgate.

Here's Wade Gupta, one of the geniuses behind Toby the Van. If you've never checked out their tailgate, put it on your list of things to do next fall. Incredibly cool.

Greg Herrera, perhaps the most dedicated Stanford fan in the stadium, and he was sitting just two rows in front of me. (The details put this over the top -- note the Axes on the back of his "helmet".) He's worn this getup to two BCS bowl games in a row, and after Tuesday night's victory he looked ahead to the possiblity of next year's national championship. "If we make the championship game, I'll get this thing tattooed on!"

Confetti flies in the moments following the win. I suppose they used red, white, and green because those are Rose Bowl colors, but since it was Stanford vs. Wisconsin -- both red and white -- don't you think they could've loaded their cannons with red and white confetti? Would've been a lot cooler. Still, it was pretty cool. I think I want a confetti cannon for Christmas this year.

And finally, your humble correspondent. Go Mighty Card!

Tomorrow Is Everything

Whether you're in the stands in Pasadena or sitting on the couch at home, be ready. Tomorrow is everything.

 

Road to the Rose Bowl: Day 1

The Cardinal Channel has been following the Stanford boys as they prepare for next week's Rose Bowl. Here's how the first day in L.A. went, complete with a trip to Disneyland. Enjoy...

Blogging With the Enemy: Wisconsin Badgers, Part 2

The Rose Bowl is three weeks from today, believe it or not, and there's been a fair amount of news out of Madison as the Badgers prepare to head west to take on our Mighty Card. A head coach has defected, a legend has decided to temporarily take his place, and -- shocker! -- Boise State's Chris Peterson sits atop Wisconsin's wish list. (As an aside, what exactly does Peterson have to do to convince people he's staying in Boise?)

But back to the Rose Bowl. As I continue to scour the globe for the greatest minds in Badger Nation, I've come across Mike Fiammetta from Bucky's 5th Quarter, a comprehensive Wisconsin site, and he happily agreed to chat. (And if you're wondering what the 5th Quarter is, just keep reading.) Mike sheds light on Wisconsin's mysterious five losses, explains their huge showing in the Big Ten championship game, and makes a prediction in the end. Great stuff, top to bottom. Enjoy!

Blogging With the Enemy: Wisconsin Badgers, Part 1

Yes, I realize the Rose Bowl is almost a month away, but it's never too early to start thinking about Wisconsin. Stanford and Wisconsin squared off in the 2000 Rose Bowl, and while Stanford fans are likely looking for a little payback, I'm not sure the revenge angle will resonate in a locker room full of players who would have had to hold their mothers' hands to cross the street to get to that game.

Either way, I'll have a lot of material here in the coming weeks previewing what promises to be a great game between the Cardinal and the Badgers, and I'm hoping to feature a variety of experts to give their opinions about both sides. First up is Andy Coppens from Madtown Badgers.

Since Wisconsin plays in the far-off Big Ten and their games this year usually kicked off while I was still rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and hustling my daughter off to her soccer game, I thought it might make sense to start with an introduction to the Badgers and their fans. Don't worry, though. We'll dig deeper as the game gets closer. For now, meet the Badgers!

Pac-12 Championship: Stanford 27, UCLA 24

After last week's dominant win over UCLA in the regular season finale, the expectation was for more of the same in Friday night's rematch in the Pac-12 Championship Game. It took about three and a half minutes for that expectation to wash away in the rain.

Is Stanford Rose Bowl Bound?

Here's the funny thing about this year's Stanford Cardinal. As frustrating as they've been, things just might turn out alright. Stanford could end up in the Rose Bowl on January 1st. Here's how...

First of all, there's the obvious way. With a 4-1 record and games remaining against the two teams ahead of them, the Cardinal is in the driver's seat. All they have to do is win out, including a win in the Pac-12 Championship game, and they'll be smelling roses.

But that murmur you hear is the voice of reality explaining that the Oregon Ducks are simply too good. That's fine, though, because it fits right along with Plan B.

In this plan the Ducks run the table and finish undefeated at 12-0, which is nice. At the conclusion of the regular season they'd advance to the Pac-12 Championship game, where they'd run roughshod over USC or whichever lamb is sent up from the Pac-12 South to Eugene for the slaughter.