Huskies Off the Hook for Worst Upset: Can USC Learn From Them?

I knew the Huskies' 1985 loss to Oregon State was a huge upset, but I'd never known it was the biggest upset of all-time. The Dawgs lost as 36-point favorites, the largest favorite ever to lose--until 41-point favorite USC lost to Stanford Saturday.

So I got to wondering: what happened to the Huskies after that loss, and is there any parallel with USC?

There is a comparison to be made with USC--both the '85 Dawgs and '07 Trojans had under-performing senior quarterbacks.

Washington's was current KJR analyst Hugh Millen, who threw four interceptions in the Oregon State loss. USC's is John David Booty, who likewise threw four interceptions in the Stanford loss.

Millen didn't lose his job after the Oregon State game--but he did two games later, after throwing another four interceptions in a 36-7 loss at Arizona State.

Highly-touted sophomore Chris Chandler replaced Millen as the starter for the next game, home vs. USC, and led a late fourth-quarter drive to beat the Trojans, 20-17. Chandler, as you know, went on to be one of the best Husky quarterbacks ever, and had a long career in the pros that included a Super Bowl start with Atlanta.

The 2007 Trojans also have a highly-touted sophomore QB--2004 Parade All-American Player of the Year Mark Sanchez.

Sanchez, who'd probably already be the starter at 100 other Division I schools, was recruited by USC, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Texas. He's a stud. And with Booty struggling and possibly injured (he cracked the tip of his middle finger on a throw in the Stanford game) you have to wonder if Sanchez can pull a Chandler for the Trojans.

So what about Stanford? Does this win herald a return to the success of the Willingham years? One thing's for sure--the '85 Beavers were a much worse team than the '07 Cardinal. Coming into the Husky game, they'd lost their last two by a combined 96-0 score.

And the '07 Trojans are much better than the '85 Huskies were. The Dawgs, coming off their Orange Bowl win, had started the season #12, but dropped out of the rankings after a two-touchdown loss to Thurman Thomas and Oklahoma State, and furter off the charts after a 31-3 loss to BYU.

Still, for anyone thinking that Stanford's win somehow indicates that they are a good team (they got four votes in the USA Today coaches poll), know this: The 1985 Beavers went 0-4 after beating the Huskies, and didn't get within two touchdowns of any of their opponents.

People are trying to say that this indicates a bright future for Jim Harbaugh at Stanford. If Oregon State's upset is any guide, don't be so sure. Oregon State's upset also came under a new coach, Dave Kragthorpe.

Kragthorpe lasted five more years in Corvallis, finishing 17-48-2. The Beavers wouldn't have a winning season until 1999 under Dennis Erickson. Kragthorpe's son, Steve, is the embattled coach at under-performing Louisville.

Could Harbaugh's win be the start of a resurgence? Maybe--but Oregon State's win over Washington sure wasn't.