Stanford is a school steeped in tradition and athletic excellence.
The university has had some amazing athletes come through the school over the years, including football stars such as John Elway and Jim Plunkett. The program has featured a number of successful teams, including the 1940 team that went unbeaten, but at no other time in the school's history has the football program been more ready to enter the elite levels of college football than right now.
Following the 20-14 Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin on Tuesday, the Cardinal now has gone 35-5 over the past three years and has played in three BCS bowl games, winning two of them. The team won its first Rose Bowl since 1972 and now has the chance to continue on in this decade as one of college football's best teams.
"Great job," said Condoleezza Rice, the former U.S. secretary of state who now serves on the Stanford faculty after the game, according to ESPN.com.
Stanford took an early 14-0 lead over the Badgers on Tuesday and appeared to be in control of the game before Wisconsin stormed back in the second quarter, scoring on a rushing touchdown from Montee Ball and a passing score from quarterback Curt Phillips. Stanford took a 17-14 lead into halftime after getting a field goal from Jordan Williamson and never looked back.
The Cardinal completely shut down Wisconsin and Ball in the second half, allowing the Badgers to get just four first downs and score zero points. Stanford added another field goal for insurance, but they wouldn't need it.
No player in the game put up exceptional statistics, but freshman Kevin Hogan was efficient and made the throws when it counted, completing 12-of-19 passes for 123 yards and zero turnovers. Running back Stepfan Taylor rushed for 88 yards and scored a touchdown, while tight end Zach Ertz led the Cardinal with three catches for 61 yards.
"I think it just shows Stanford is a powerhouse," Cardinal tight end Zach Ertz said. "Stanford is here to stay. It doesn't really matter what the writers say. USC, Oregon; we just to stick to our business."
Plunkett once led the Cardinal to a Rose Bowl win back in 1971, but little did he know that the team would only play in only two more after that and win just one over 30 years-until now. Stanford won the Rose Bowl in 1972 and played in the game in 2000 against the same opponent as in 2013 with head coach Barry Alvarez and Wisconsin, but lost 17-19.
"Let's just say to be in the same place as Jim Plunkett is pretty cool," Stanford guard Kevin Danser said. "It's definitely an accomplishment. It's something I'll always tell my kids, brag about with my kids, brag about to my friends. This is an experience that you can't replace."
That last Rose Bowl loss was under coach Ty Willingham, who truly began to lay the foundation for Stanford's success. Willingham went 9-3 in 2001, but the program fell behind during the 2000s, winning just 16 games from 2002 to 2007.
In 2007 when Harbaugh came to the program, everything changed. After going 4-8 and 5-7 in his first two years, the coach took Stanford to their first bowl game since 2001 after going 8-5, including 6-3 in the Pac-10. The team lost 31-27 in the Sun Bowl, but it was a sign of things to come.
With Andrew Luck under center and a talented roster of players, including running back Toby Gerhart and cornerback Richard Sherman, the team went a school-record 12-1 and played in its first BCS game, winning the Orange Bowl 40-12 over Virginia Tech. Over his four seasons with the school, Harbaugh went 21-15 in the conference and helped turn around a program that was in the cellar of the Pac-10 for years.
Offensive coordinator David Shaw took over the head coaching job from Harbaugh in 2011 when he went to the San Francisco 49ers and helped steer quarterback Andrew Luck to a Fiesta Bowl appearance and a successful senior season that resulted in him being the No. 1-overall pick in the NFL draft in 2012.
Stanford went 11-2 under Shaw in his first season and lost in overtime in the Fiesta Bowl before going 12-2 this year and earning a Rose Bowl victory. The team was supposed to be rebuilding after losing Luck, but has gone 16-2 in the conference over the past two seasons and was ranked 11th in scoring defense this year with just 17 points allowed per game.
The team won its first three games of the season, but went through some adversity after losing two of three to Washington and Notre Dame. The second loss against the Irish was controversial after running back Stepfan Taylor appeared to score the tying touchdown in overtime, but the referees blew the play dead, giving Notre Dame a 20-13 overtime win to keep the undefeated season alive.
Stanford rebounded from the loss to win 21-3 against California the next week and didn't lose for the rest of the regular season, including in the finale against UCLA that clinched a spot in the Pac-12 championship game. The Cardinal won 27-24 against the Bruins in the title game to move on to the Rose Bowl and completely dominated a Wisconsin team that put up 70 points against Nebraska in the Big Ten championship game.
The Cardinal received much less press and praise entering the season compared to Pac-12 counterpart USC, who entered the year ranked No. 1, but it is Stanford that will finish ahead the Trojans in the final standings. Stanford also received a leg up on Oregon, who despite going 11-1, missed out on the Pac-12 championship game and is playing against Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl.
Stanford was always seen as a great academic and athletic school to play football, but until now the team hasn't been mentioned in the same breath as powerhouses such as Alabama, LSU, Oregon, Florida and Notre Dame. Following this run of great play that began under coach Jim Harbaugh and Andrew Luck, Stanford has become an elite football program and one that should battle for the national championship every season.
