State of the Rivalry: UCLA-Stanford

Much fell apart during the collapse of the Pac-12, including storied rivalries that programs leaned on annually for nearly a century. One of the more notable fallouts is UCLA's football rivalry with Stanford.

Unlike the crosstown rivalry with USC, the Bruins can't look forward to a yearly matchup since Stanford went to the ACC and the Bruins and Trojans made their way to the Big Ten.

Scott Dochterman of The Athletic released a composite ranking of the top 100 rivalries in all of college football, and the UCLA-Stanford rivalry made the cut along with the UCLA-USC rivalry among other California clashes.

Here's what Dochterman had to say about the rivalry between the Bruins and the Cardinal:

"One of the four California games on hiatus after the Pac-12 breakup, the teams played 12 ranked matchups over their 95 meetings.

"One of the series’ most important games is so obscure that media guides for both schools list the wrong date. The duo played Oct. 12, 1935 (not Oct. 19) in a game that decided the Pacific Coast crown. UCLA pulled out a 7-6 win against Stanford, but the latter earned the Rose Bowl slot and beat SMU. The teams rarely matched up at similar competitive levels over their final decade in the Pac-12. At least one had a losing record every year from 2016 onward. The first time the schools played, Stanford won 82-0. UCLA exacted some revenge in its national-title season of 1954 with a 72-0 shellacking."

Recalling the best game of each of the 100 rivalries, Dochterman added, "In 2012, they met for the Pac-12 title a week after facing off during the regular season. No. 17 UCLA led by a TD in the fourth quarter, but No. 8 Stanford rallied with 10 straight points to take a 27-24 lead. The Bruins reached Cardinal territory twice afterward, but a 52-yard field goal fell short, and Stanford claimed the league title and a Rose Bowl bid."

The Bruins lead the matchup 49-43-3 in 95 total meetings.

Yes, UCLA moved on to a much stronger conference that is sure to improve nearly every aspect of the program, but storied rivalries like the one it had with Stanford are essential to the foundation of every college football program.