Realignment has created some odd pairings. Many a travel nuisance is created by the West Coast schools joining the Big 10. But there at least a familial sense to it since the two conferences had similar bowl tie-ins. And of course, there were the Rose Bowl matchups over the generations. But in the category of strange bedfellows, we give you the new ACC.
Stanford
This goes on display, again, this weekend. Stanford gets to stay at home for a pleasant change. The Cardinal host Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon. Yes, we know the game is listed as a 5:30 pm kickoff. But that is Eastern time. And since the game is on the other side of the country, where the wine and cheese crowd of Stanford will just be finishing their chardonnay with lunch…it is an afternoon game.
The two schools have played exactly one time before in their lengthy history. Stanford beat VA Tech 40-12 in the 2011 Orange Bowl.
Stanford spent its last two games on the far “other” coast. They beat Syracuse on a last-second field goal. They turned around to go home and make some classes, (it is Stanford after all). And then as they prepared to head to Clemson the following week, their Wednesday flight was canceled because of the non-hurricane storm that drenched much of the South. When they finally got to South Carolina, they were in a hotel with limited electricity, rode out the local impact of Hurricane Helene and they got manhandled by Clemson 40-14. But hey, at least they are getting to experience several East Coast airports in short turnarounds.
Hey, by the way, for the ACC fans new to Stanford football, that jacked-up tree is not the school or team mascot. There isn’t one. The tree belongs to the Stanford band.
Cal
Both of the ACC’s West Coast members get to hang out in their own rooms. Cal is going to play unbeaten Miami for only the fifth time ever. The series is tied 2-2. They have not played against each other in 16 years. The last time was the “classic” and “memorable” Emerald Bowl in 2008. Cal, (coached by Jeff Tedford), beat Miami, (coached by Randy Shannon), 24-17.
Going to Berkeley is going to be a cultural experience for fans from South Beach, Florida. There is nothing at Miami games that resembles the “hippy-ish” Tightwad Hill that overlooks Memorial Stadium. It’s a hillside about 100 feet above the east rim of the stadium. It’s a place where at most about a hundred students can sit on the ground and watch the game for free. And they do it even when the stadium is not sold out, which is most games.
Of course, by now we all know that Cal has approached the new conference relationship with great vigor. Calgorithm is now the universally accepted term for the Bears’ social media work. Much of it has to do with Cal humorously wearing the banner of being from a “woke” state. Instead of running away from the stereotypes, Cal fans are running headfirst into owning them with some fun on the side.
Now Cal and Stanford just have to figure out how to speak up on the field as well as they do off the field.
