The self-proclaimed “nerds” rang in 2013 in style as Stanford held off Wisconsin, 20-14, to win the Rose Bowl yesterday and finish the season on an eight-game winning streak. ‘Twas a rosy finish for Stanford, indeed, but Monte Poole of the Merc thinks that Stanford’s win won’t silence its doubters (haters’ gonna hate). Either way, the Cardinal capped off a heck of a season by doing something they hadn’t in 41 years – win the Granddaddy of ‘em All. Congrats, Farm Boys.
That means there’s one more Pac-12 bowl game to go – the Fiesta Bowl, which will take place tomorrow night. The Ducks will have their hands full with Kansas State’s offense, meaning they will have to rely upon the services of linebacker Kiko Alonso, who has overcome troubles to meet expectations.
Before the Fiesta, however, the Pac-12 men’s basketball season begins! The ceremonies will commence in Tempe, where Arizona State will entertain Utah later tonight. The Bachynski brothers are ready for battle - Jordan plays for Arizona State and Dallin plays for Utah, and this will be their first time going up against each other in college. The Sun Devils enter the game at 11-2, and with Jahii Carson, there’s reason for optimism for Arizona State.
The Runnin’ Utes will enter the contest at 8-4, five games better than last year’s non-conference mark of 3-9, but it will be a tough opener for Utah. The schedule doesn’t get any easier, either – three days later, it’s on to No. 3 Arizona. Next weekend, UCLA comes to town. The new-look Utes will be put to the test early in conference play.
Men’s volleyball is the most underappreciated NCAA sport, but luckily three Pac-12 schools have a squad. UCLA is one of those schools, and the Bruins’ men’s volleyball team will host Alberta in an exhibition tonight at 7:00 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion. There’s a new coach in Westwood, as former UC Irvine head honcho John Speraw (who won three natties in Irvine) takes over for the legendary Al Scates, who retired at the end of last season.
With no link roundup on New Year’s Day, that meant no Sun Bowl talk from New Year’s Eve. It wasn’t a pretty finish for USC, which lost to Georgia Tech, but the performance in the Sun Bowl was the perfect way to conclude an imperfect season, writes Bill Plaschke of the LA Times and Around the Horn fame.
Arizona men’s basketball is one of the hottest Pac-12 commodities going right now, and the Wildcats kick off the Pac-12 season Thursday in a big way against Colorado, the newest rival for the ‘Cats. The two played to a thrilling finish at last year’s Pac-12 Tournament in the championship round, with the Buffs squeaking by by two points to nab the auto-bid to the Big Dance.
The Buffs are again led by the masterful play of André Roberson, who is averaging 12.1 points and 12.1 rebounds through the first 12 games of the season. Curious on whether he will jump to The Association after this, his junior campaign? You’ll have to wait a while, because Roberson won’t make a decision on the NBA until after the season.
Cal is never short on professional football players, so let’s take a look at Week 17 in the NFL for the Golden Bears. Thirteen former Cal players are on NFL playoff teams – Marshawn Lynch, Aaron Rodgers much?
The latest Rose Bowl took place yesterday, but Washington State wants to take a trip back – waaaaayyyy back – to honor the past by revisiting the 1916 Rose Bowl, won by the Cougs 14-0 over Brown.
With a new year upon us, the Corvallis Gazette Times takes a look at the top five Oregon State sports stories of 2012.
With a new year upon us, the Washington athletic department reached out to its fans to get their New Year’s wishes for the Huskies. What’s yours, U-Dub fans?