Date: 11/20/1982
Location: California Memorial Stadium (Berkeley, Calif.)
Result: 25-20, Cal
Not only is the 1982 contest between the Stanford Cardinal and Cal Golden Bears one of the defining match-ups of the rivalry, but it's also one of the most well-known games in college football history. Why is that, though? Neither team was particularly exciting going into the game, with the Golden Bears sitting at 6-4 and the Cardinal at just 5-5. Sure, Stanford was quarterbacked by John Elway at the time, but this wasn't a game with national title implications or anything. In fact, Stanford was fighting just to be bowl eligible.
However, the game itself ended up being anything but a ho-hum affair. After a heroic, last minute drive that saw Elway lead his team into field goal position—and overcoming a 4th-and-17 on their own 13-yard line in the process—the Cardinal were up 20-19 with just four seconds left. However, there was one, crucial wrinkle to Stanford's nearly-sealed victory: a 15-yard penalty for excessive (and premature) celebrating stuck the Cardinal at their own 25-yard line for the ensuing kickoff. Guess what happened next?