Stanford Football: 3 bowl game possibilities for the Cardinal in 2017
By Zach Bigalke
1. Holiday Bowl (SDCCU Stadium/San Diego vs. Big Ten)
Despite celebrating its 40th anniversary on the bowl calendar, the Holiday Bowl in San Diego has never featured Stanford. The second-oldest bowl game in the state of California is the 12th-oldest bowl game in the country, after becoming an annual feature of the postseason calendar back in 1978. This might be the year that the Cardinal finally play in the Holiday Bowl for the first time after four decades of the game’s existence.
Stanford has already played at SDCCU Stadium once this season, when they fell 20-17 against San Diego State. It would not be that difficult to get fans to travel down the I-5 for another contest at the former home of the San Diego Chargers. The Cardinal have come a long way since falling to 1-2 on the season, and the Holiday Bowl committee would jump at the opportunity to finally bring them to play in their game.
If they do get an invitation from the Holiday Bowl, Stanford would get a chance to recreate the closest thing to the traditional Big Ten/Pac-12 matchup that traditionally takes place 125 miles northwest in Pasadena. It would be a fitting cap to a rebound season for David Shaw’s crew and a historic first for the Cardinal.