Welcome back to The Vault. Each week I take a peek back at a fateful game between Stanford and the team they are set to play on Saturday. The Cardinal will host the Arizona State Sun Devils this week and I think it’s pretty obvious which game should be examined. The Stanford Cardinal have played Arizona State exactly 30 times, but only once did their game decide the conference champion.
The 2013 PAC-12 Championship Game was certainly the most meaningful game Stanford and ASU have ever played. Both teams have had their ups and downs in the 39 years since the Sun Devils joined the PAC-10, but they’ve rarely been good at the same time, or at least good enough to directly challenge each other for the league title.