The 2024-25 college football season features 13 games that are rematches of past Rose Bowl Games. With conference realignment moving Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington to the Big Ten, many of the rematches are now regular season conference games.

Week eight of the 2024 college football season has a little known Rose Bowl Game rematch as Stanford and SMU meet. The Cardinal and Mustangs played in the 1936 edition of The Granddaddy of Them All in a defensive battle. 
 
In 1936, Stanford's "Vow Boys" fulfilled their freshmen promise never to lose to USC again, but it was another vow that took center stage when they defeated SMU 7–0 to win their first Rose Bowl Game. Before kickoff, Stanford's team made a New Year's resolution to never lose another Rose Bowl Game, and they kept that vow. The game attracted massive attention, with 310 additional seats added to accommodate the crowd of 84,784, and over 200,000 ticket requests turned down. SMU fans traveled in droves, but it was Stanford's defense that stole the show.

The game's only scoring came early in the first quarter, set up by Stanford quarterback Bill Paulman's "quick kick" that pinned SMU deep in their own territory. Stanford regained possession on the Mustangs' 42-yard line, and a series of plays, including a key reverse pass from Bones Hamilton to Jimmy Coffis, led to Paulman's 1-yard touchdown run. With the score at 7–0, Stanford's defense was left to defend against SMU's potent offense, which had racked up 288 points in an undefeated regular season.

Stanford's defense rose to the occasion, stifling SMU's vaunted passing attack. This was a redemption story, as Stanford had been overwhelmed by Alabama's air assault the previous year. The defensive line's ferocious tackling and disciplined play were pivotal in securing the victory. As Braven Dyer of the Los Angeles Times wrote, Stanford's defense had never played with such "devastating fury," and the cathartic win erased the pain of their two previous Rose Bowl losses.