Big Game

The Big Game is the annual football game between UC Berkeley and Stanford University, and is one of the longest and most famous college rivalries. The winner recieves the Stanford Axe, which has been stolen numerous times (See the axe's node.).

In the weeks before the Big Game, both colleges mount numerous pranks, from stealing the Stanford Tree, to putting mice dyed in the schools' traditional colors into university libraries. Most of this is all in fun, and no harm is done (With a few exceptions and close calls.). Traditions have come and gone, such as the Stanford bonfire, banned from the dry bed of Lake Lagunita (Lake Lag) because it's a habitat of the endangered California Tiger Salamander, but at least the rivalry will always endure...

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All Big Game Scores
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STANFORD: 54 wins
CALIFORNIA (Berkeley): 40 wins
BOTH: 11 ties

Year  Winner      Score  Site            Notes
====  ==========  =====  =============   =================
1892  Stanford    14-10  San Francisco   Held in the Spring
1892  (Tie Game)  10-10  San Francisco
1893  (Tie Game)  06-06  San Francisco
1894  Stanford    06-00  San Francisco
1895  (Tie Game)  06-06  San Francisco
1896  Stanford    20-00  San Francisco
1897  Stanford    28-00  San Francisco
1898  California  22-00  San Francisco
1899  California  30-00  San Francisco   Year of the Stanford Axe Theft during an April baseball game
1900  Stanford    05-00  San Francisco   Douglas Tilden statue "The Football Players" (Awarded 1899), dedicated 10 May 1900.
1901  California  02-00  San Francisco
1902  California  16-00  San Francisco
1903  (Tie Game)  06-06  San Francisco
1904  Stanford    18-00  Berkeley
1905  Stanford    12-05  Palo Alto
1906  Stanford    06-03  Berkeley       First rugby Big Game
1907  Stanford    21-11  Palo Alto      Rugby
1908  Stanford    12-03  Berkeley       Rugby
1909  California  19-13  Palo Alto      Rugby
1910  California  25-06  Berkeley       Rugby, first card stunts (Cal)
1911  California  21-03  Palo Alto      Rugby
1912  (Tie Game)  03-03  Berkeley       Rugby
1913  Stanford    13-08  Palo Alto      Rugby
1914  Stanford    36-08  Berkeley       Last rugby Big Game. No Big Games were held from 1915-1917 due to disputes.
1918  California  67-00  Berkeley       S.A.T.C. (Unofficial Charity Game)
1919  California  14-10  Palo Alto
1920  California  38-00  Berkeley
1921  California  42-07  Palo Alto      First game at Stanford Stadium
1922  California  28-00  Palo Alto
1923  California  09-00  Berkeley       First game at Memorial Stadium
1924  (Tie Game)  20-20  Berkeley       Both Cal and Stanford were undefeated
1925  Stanford    27-14  Palo Alto
1926  Stanford    41-06  Berkeley
1927  Stanford    13-06  Palo Alto
1928  (Tie Game)  13-13  Berkeley
1929  Stanford    21-06  Palo Alto
1930  Stanford    41-00  Berkeley
1931  California  06-00  Palo Alto
1932  (Tie Game)  00-00  Berkeley
1933  Stanford    07-03  Palo Alto      First game with the Axe as a trophy
1934  Stanford    09-07  Berkeley
1935  Stanford    13-00  Palo Alto
1936  California  20-00  Berkeley
1937  California  13-00  Palo Alto
1938  California  06-00  Berkeley
1939  California  32-14  Palo Alto
1940  Stanford    13-07  Berkeley
1941  California  16-00  Palo Alto
1942  Stanford    26-07  Berkeley       No Big Games held from 1943-1945 because of World War II.
1946  Stanford    25-06  Berkeley
1947  California  21-18  Palo Alto
1948  California  07-06  Berkeley
1949  California  33-14  Palo Alto
1950  (Tie Game)  07-07  Berkeley
1951  California  20-07  Palo Alto
1952  California  26-00  Berkeley
1953  (Tie Game)  21-21  Palo Alto
1954  California  28-20  Berkeley
1955  Stanford    19-00  Palo Alto
1956  California  20-18  Berkeley
1957  Stanford    14-12  Palo Alto
1958  California  16-15  Berkeley
1959  California  20-17  Palo Alto
1960  California  21-10  Berkeley
1961  Stanford    20-70  Palo Alto
1962  Stanford    30-13  Berkeley
1963  Stanford    28-17  Palo Alto      Debut of California Victory Cannon
1964  Stanford    21-03  Berkeley
1965  Stanford    09-07  Palo Alto
1966  Stanford    13-07  Berkeley
1967  California  26-03  Palo Alto      Cal scored 21 points in 4th quarter
1968  Stanford    20-00  Berkeley
1969  Stanford    29-28  Palo Alto
1970  California  22-14  Berkeley       Upset over Rose Bowl bound Stanford
1971  Stanford    14-00  Palo Alto
1972  California  24-21  Berkeley       Ferragamo to Sweeney TD on last play
1973  Stanford    26-17  Palo Alto
1974  Stanford    22-20  Berkeley       Langford's 50yd winning FG on last play
1975  California  48-15  Palo Alto      "The Chuck Muncie Show"
1976  Stanford    27-24  Berkeley
1977  Stanford    21-30  Palo Alto
1978  Stanford    30-10  Berkeley
1979  California  21-14  Palo Alto
1980  California  28-23  Berkeley
1981  Stanford    42-21  Palo Alto
1982  California  25-20  Berkeley       "The Play"
1983  California  27-18  Palo Alto
1984  Stanford    27-10  Berkeley
1985  Stanford    24-22  Palo Alto      Cal was down 24-0 in 3rd quarter
1986  California  17-11  Berkeley       Biggest upset in Big Game history
1987  Stanford    31-07  Palo Alto
1988  (Tie Game)  19-19  Berkeley       Cal 11yd FG to win blocked by Tuan Van Le
1989  Stanford    24-14  Palo Alto      First Big Game under the lights
1990  Stanford    27-25  Berkeley       Stanford scored 9 points in final 16 secs
1991  Stanford    38-21  Palo Alto
1992  Stanford    41-21  Berkeley
1993  California  46-17  Palo Alto      Biggest rout since "Chuck Muncie Show"
1994  California  24-23  Berkeley
1995  Stanford    29-24  Palo Alto
1996  Stanford    42-21  Berkeley       Cal mob destroyed the Stanford Tree
1997  Stanford    21-20  Palo Alto      The 100th Big Game
1998  Stanford    10-03  Berkeley
1999  Stanford    31-13  Palo Alto
2000  Stanford    36-30  Berkeley
2001  Stanford    35-28  Palo Alto
2002  California  30-07  Berkeley
2003  California  28-16  Palo Alto
2004  California  41-06  Berkeley
2005  California  27-03  Palo Alto

In the parlance of the con operator, the big game is the whole of any con which itself includes a little game. Many confidence games use this method, although the most basic cons need use only charm and a bit of wit.

More specifically, the big game is that process wherein the grifter presents the mark with an opportunity which requires investment to exploit. In the case of the now-commonplace 419 fraud (see also Nigerian Mail Scams), the big game is the fraud itself: enticing the mark with millions of dollars if he would be willing to spring for the paltry few thousand dollars required to rescue/recover/export the outrageous (and non-existent) fortune from wherever it happens to be. The little game is the opportunity the mark sees: the exchange of a small sum of money for the reward.

This method is useful because, although people's kindness can sometimes be relied upon, desire (be it greed, lust or envy) makes a much more blinding draw. Especially greed.

The best plans can, of course, incorporate little game within little game. The purpose of this is that if one little game can be discovered by the mark, he might assume that since he sees two games, he sees the whole picture, when he is really indeed only seeing what he's supposed to see. There is still one more con lurking out there.

Many suspense movies (especially those of David Mamet) capitalize on this same twist: hints are dropped which lead the viewer to believe he understands what is going on behind the scenes, when in reality, the hints are only hints of a little game. Since the mark (in this case, the viewer) believes he knows what is going on, he is often lets his guard down a little more, thus making it even more difficult to see the big game.