BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
Today’s Big Game will be the last time that Stanford football plays in the Pac-12 conference.
But the school will remain closely tied to its rival UC-Berkeley. Both colleges next year are joining the Atlantic Coast Conference, or ACC, following a mass exodus from the longstanding Pac-12.
Today’s game is also a chance for first-year Stanford coach Troy Taylor to beat his former team. Taylor was the quarterback at Cal in 1988 and 1999. He tied one Big Game and lost the other. Stanford (3-7) and Cal (4-6) are both having down seasons. Stanford is 0-5 at home, one of two college football teams without a home win this year, along with the University of Connecticut.
Last week the team allowed 62 points to the Oregon State Beavers, the most against Stanford since 2005. Stanford has lost 20 of 23 conference games headed into their final Pac-12 game ever.
Wide receiver Elic Ayomanor has been a bright spot, with five touchdowns in his last five games.
Stanford and Cal have been in the Pac-12 together since 1918. But colleges started leaving the conference last year for more lucrative television deals.
The conference was left with four teams, including Cal and Stanford, and the writing was on the wall.
Stanford will travel to Clemson, NC State, Syracuse and Cal next season. The team will play Louisville, Southern Methodist, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest at home.
Cal has won three of the last four Big Games following a nine-game losing streak in the series. Stanford leads the overall series 65-50, with 11 ties.
Cal is favored by about six points today, according to online sportsbooks.
The game starts at 3:30 p.m.