In a remarkable upset, the visiting Stanford Cardinal won 24–23 despite USC having been favored by 41 points entering the game.
[1] This result was the biggest point spread upset of all time in college football (since surpassed by the Howard University Bison in 2017, who were 45-point underdogs heading into a road game against the UNLV Rebels).
[3] The final score was announced at the Rose Bowl, where USC's two arch-rivals, UCLA and Notre Dame, were playing each other.
[6] In 1979, Stanford had pulled a similar feat by coming back in the last four minutes to tie USC 21–21 on October 13.
This game, considered one of the greatest of the 20th century,[7] effectively cost USC a national championship.