The UCLA–USC rivalry is the American collegiate athletics rivalry between the UCLA Bruins sports teams of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and USC Trojans teams of the University of Southern California (USC). Both universities are located in Los Angeles and moved together to the Big Ten Conference from the Pac-12 Conference in 2024. The rivalry between the two is among the more unusual in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I sports, because the campuses are only 12 mi apart, and both are located within the same megacity. UCLA teams have won the second-most NCAA Division I-sanctioned team championships, while USC has the third-most. Only Stanford University, a former conference opponent also located in California, has more than either UCLA or USC.

Background

The schools have been together in the same athletic conference since 1928, when UCLA joined USC in the Pacific Coast Conference, a predecessor of the Pac-12 Conference. USC had joined the PCC in 1922. When the PCC broke up after the 1958-1959 season, USC and UCLA were charter members of the newly formed Athletic Association of Western Universities. The AAWU, with expansion, would become the Pac-8, Pac-10, and then the Pac-12 Conference. USC is recognized as consistently being one of the top football programs in the nation, while UCLA is recognized as consistently being one of the top basketball programs in the nation. However, a somewhat rare confluence of events occurred in 1954, which began with USC in its last of only two Final Four appearances in the 1954 NCAA basketball tournament and ended with UCLA winning its only non-NCAA Football National Championship. Both schools also are successful in many "non-revenue" or "Olympic" sports. Both have had success in track and field, water polo, tennis, volleyball, and golf. As of 2023, USC has won 26 NCAA championships in men's outdoor track and field, 21 in men's tennis, and 12 in baseball, the most of any school in each respective sport. Likewise, UCLA has won 20 NCAA championships in men's volleyball and 12 in softball, also the most of any school in those sports. Both also are the only schools to have won official NCAA championships in beach volleyball, with USC winning 5 and UCLA 2. As of June 2024, UCLA ranked second overall and USC ranked third overall in NCAA team championships behind Stanford. Both schools also have several non-NCAA championships, including AIAW and pre-NCAA championships.

Crosstown Cup

The Crosstown Cup, formerly the Lexus Gauntlet, the Crosstown Gauntlet, and the SoCal BMW Crosstown Cup, is the name given to a competition between UCLA and USC in the 19 NCAA-sanctioned varsity sports in which both compete. (Although slightly different scoring rules were in effect in the different versions of the competition. ) In 2003, 2005, and 2007 UCLA won the Lexus Gauntlet Trophy, while USC won the trophy in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2009 (the first back-to-back win). After the 2009 season, Lexus stopped sponsoring the award. The competition was renamed the Crosstown Gauntlet, which USC won in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014, and UCLA won in 2013. In 2015, due to new sponsorship, the competition became the SoCal BMW Crosstown Cup. It was won by UCLA in 2015 and USC in 2016, when the sponsorship arrangement concluded. The competition has since been known simply as the Crosstown Cup. UCLA won the Crosstown Cup in 2017 and 2018; USC won in 2019 and 2021, with the 2020 competition being suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Football rivalry

Quite often, the winner of the football game has won or shared the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12) title in football. A berth in the Rose Bowl game has been on the line many times as well for both schools. Since the 1916 formation of the Pacific Coast Conference, which the Pac-12 claims as part of its history, USC had won or shared 37 conference titles and UCLA had won or shared 17 titles. Washington is second in overall conference titles with 18. Since the 1959 season, when the Pac-12 was formed as the Athletic Association of Western Universities, through the 2007 season, the schools had won or shared 33 of the 48 conference titles. USC won 17 championships outright, shared eight and gone to the Rose Bowl or BCS bowl 21 times. UCLA won six championships outright, shared five and gone to the Rose Bowl eight times. The schools have thrice shared the championship. In 2011, UCLA became the first Pac-12 South Division champion – while USC held the better of the two records, the Trojans were ineligible for postseason play that year due to NCAA sanctions. Both teams have spoiled conference and national championship runs for the other. USC was a somewhat established national football power under Howard Jones and had begun a major rivalry with Notre Dame when UCLA joined the Pacific Coast Conference in 1928. Los Angeles Times sportswriter Braven Dyer predicted on the day of the first football meeting on September 28, 1929, "In years to come, this game will probably be one of the football spectacles of the West" USC dominated the early games (so much so, that after the first two games, the series was suspended for five years and they did not play each other from 1931 to 1935) until UCLA established itself. By the late 1930s, star players such as Kenny Washington, Jackie Robinson, and Bob Waterfield enabled UCLA to be competitive. With the hiring of Hall of Fame coach Henry "Red" Sanders, UCLA became the more dominant program in the 1950s with their one and only National Championship in 1954. A famous quote was attributed to Sanders regarding the rivalry, "Beating 'SC is not a matter of life or death, it's more important than that." But Sanders died suddenly of a heart attack, and shortly thereafter, one of the greatest colleges football coaches in NCAA history took over the struggling USC program. Upon the arrival of their new head coach John McKay (1960–1975), USC entered a new golden age in its storied history. During McKay's tenure, the Trojans won 8 conference titles, 5 Rose Bowls, produced two Heisman Trophy winners (Mike Garrett and O. J. Simpson) and won three national championships (1962, 1967, and 1972) and shared one (1974). Against UCLA, McKay was tough to beat, posting a 10–5–1 record against the Bruins between 1960 and 1975. Tommy Prothro was the UCLA coach who posted the wins against McKay's teams, and drew more attention to the rivalry. For most seasons from the mid-1960s to the end of the 1970s, the two schools were the top powers on the West Coast with USC usually holding the top spot. In the 15 Rose Bowls played from 1966 to 1980, USC or UCLA played in 12 of them. Even with the rise of Don James' Washington Huskies in the 1980s and early 90s, UCLA or USC still went to the Rose Bowl seven times between 1981 and 1995. In the 1990s, UCLA enjoyed an eight-game winning streak against USC. The Bruins' unbeaten string ended in 1999 when the Trojans began their longest win streak, 7, against the Bruins, though two of those wins (2004 and 2005) are now vacated, cutting the USC streak to five. Pete Carroll was hired by USC in December 2000. During Carroll's tenure (2001–2009 seasons), USC was virtually unbeatable against its two most heated rivals, UCLA and Notre Dame. The only game that UCLA beat a Pete Carroll-coached team was the 13–9 win in 2006 at the Rose Bowl that kept USC out of the BCS Championship game and allowed the Bruins to keep the record for consecutive wins (8) in the rivalry.

Title of the game

A number of titles have been applied to the football game such as: "The Los Angeles City Championship", "The Crosstown Showdown", "The Battle of L.A. or Los Angeles ", or simply the "crosstown rivalry". None have become the singular name for the game. Most often the game is referred to as the USC–UCLA (or UCLA–USC) football game by the media. Fans of a particular team refer to it as the USC game or UCLA game, using the name of the opposing school.

Activities before the game

At UCLA, the week before the game is known as "Beat 'SC Week" (officially dubbed "Blue and Gold Week"). At USC, the week before the game is known as "Troy Week" or, more popularly, "Conquest". Both schools host a number of activities on their respective campuses during the week to promote school spirit. Activities include parades, bonfires, rallies, and live entertainment. Also, both schools take steps to prevent vandalism of two major landmarks on campus: USC wraps its Trojan Shrine (better known as "Tommy Trojan") in bubble wrap and duct tape, while UCLA covers its Bruin Bear statue with tarp stating "THE BRUIN BEAR IS HIBERNATING. BEAT 'SC.", and more recently a $5000 wooden puzzle box. Groups of UCLA students known as "Bruin Bear Security Force" also camp out in Bruin Plaza, ostensibly to protect the Bruin Bear in the event of a prank, while the USC Trojan Knights hold a week-long vigil guarding Tommy Trojan with the sign "Don't Bruin your life". This has come as a response to students painting the statues in the rival schools' colors before the game. There are a number of inter-campus competitions between various groups before the game.

Activities during the game

Starting with the 2008 season, the winners of a blood drive competition were announced during halftime, with the winners donating more blood to the American Red Cross. UCLA won in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. On November 13, 2012, UCLA served notice to the USC Marching Band that its drum major would not be allowed to stab a sword into the Bruins logo before the game in the Rose Bowl on November 17, 2012.

Sharing the Los Angeles Coliseum

For a number of years, the schools shared the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as their home stadium until UCLA moved to the Rose Bowl for the 1982 season. Each school alternated as the "home" team for the game, with home fans on the north side of the Coliseum and visiting fans on the south (press box) side. Until 1983, players on both teams wore their home football jerseys for the game. Beginning in the 1984 season, when the game was played at the Rose Bowl for the second time, the visiting fans sat in the visitor section of each respective stadium, and the visiting team wore their white jerseys. Because UCLA called the Coliseum home and USC won a number of Rose Bowl games, each school has a lifetime winning record in the others' current home stadium. Starting in 2006, the coaches at the time, USC coach Pete Carroll and UCLA coach Karl Dorrell, expressed an interest in restarting the tradition of both teams wearing primary colored home jerseys. At the time, the NCAA football rules ''Article 3. a.'' stated, "Players of opposing teams shall wear jerseys of contrasting colors, and the visiting team shall wear white jerseys." USC coach Pete Carroll said he would be willing to lose two timeouts during the game so that the USC team could wear their cardinal jerseys for the UCLA–USC football game on December 6, 2008. It was determined before the 2008 game that the visiting school would only lose one timeout for incorrect equipment. Carroll agreed to forfeit a timeout to satisfy the ruling and Coach Rick Neuheisel agreed to forfeit one, in return (even though, as the coach of the home team, he was not required to do so by the ruling) to get back this tradition, and it was renewed in the 2008 game. In the wake of the coaches' decisions, the NCAA decided to amend their rules regarding away teams' uniforms (which were originally put into place to provide more contrast for black-and-white photography and television broadcasts), changing the rule to state that the teams must agree on the decision for both teams to wear their colored jerseys before the game and that the uniforms must be of easily contrasted colors. Since the home team is already required to wear its colored home jerseys and would not be in violation of any equipment rules, this essentially leaves the decision up to them as to whether or not to allow the visiting team is to wear their home uniforms.

Victory Bell

When the football teams from these schools compete against each other, the victor is awarded the Victory Bell. The Victory Bell was originally from an old Southern Pacific railroad locomotive. It was given to the UCLA student body by the UCLA Alumni Association in 1939. It was UCLA's symbol of victory until it was stolen by a USC organization called the Trojan Knights in 1941. After being hidden in various locations for over a year before resurfacing in a USC student magazine (known as the Wampus), a prank war between the two universities ensued until 1942, when the student body presidents of the two schools agreed that the bell would be the trophy awarded the winner of the annual UCLA–USC football game. The bell itself is brass, and the metal mounting around it is painted blue or cardinal by the school that won the football game and earned its possession. When UCLA possesses it, the UCLA Rally Committee is responsible for its protection and care. While it is in USC's possession, the Trojan Knights are responsible for hiding, protecting, and showcasing the bell (including ringing the bell during home football games). USC currently has the Victory Bell after its 19-13 victory on November 23, 2024.

Rose Bowl

Until the Rose Bowl Game became part of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and later the College Football Playoff (CFP), a berth in the Rose Bowl to face the Big Ten Conference champion was the ultimate goal that was awarded to the then-Pacific-10 conference champion. Through the 2016 season, USC has appeared in the Rose Bowl 34 times and UCLA has appeared 12 times. During the BCS era (1998–2013), the Rose Bowl was the destination for the first-place Big Ten and Pac-12 teams, should either fail to qualify for the BCS championship game. Since the establishment of the CFP in 2014, the Rose Bowl is one of six bowls that rotates as host of a CFP semifinal game; in years in which the Rose Bowl does not host a CFP semifinal, the Rose Bowl Game is assured of hosting the first-place teams from the two conferences should they fail to be selected for the CFP semifinals. UCLA was the first Pac-10 team to appear in a BCS bowl, the 1999 Rose Bowl, their last conference championship year. USC has appeared in six BCS bowl games, winning the BCS championship in 2005. With the Rose Bowl stadium being the home field for UCLA, the UCLA–USC rivalry football game has been played there during even numbered years since 1982. Before the Pac-10 expanded in 2011 and became the Pac-12, the Rose Bowl and conference championship were on the line for both teams 20 times and at least one team 37 times. Following expansion and the division of the conference into two football divisions, with UCLA and USC both in the South Division, the division title and a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game have been on the line for at least one team twice. Both teams have either won the championship or spoiled it for the other at one time or another.

Football series record

, USC leads 51–34–7 (record excludes two vacated USC wins due to NCAA penalty for violation of NCAA rules). There has been one overtime game in the series in 1996. Many of the games of this rivalry have ultimately determined the Pac-10 Rose Bowl representative and often a chance for USC to play for the national championship. USC was forced to vacate both its wins from the 2004 and 2005 seasons due to NCAA violations.

Winning streaks in the series

UCLA holds the longest winning streak in the series, as UCLA won eight straight games from 1991 to 1998. USC's longest streak was for seven wins from 1999 to 2005, which is not recognized because multiple years have vacated wins. But because a vacated win (under the NCAA) still counts as a loss for the opponent, UCLA's longest losing streak is still the seven games from 1999 to 2005.

The 1967 "Game of the Century"

The 1967 USC vs. UCLA football game was one of the historically significant football games of the 20th century. It matched No. 4 USC with O. J. Simpson against No. 1 UCLA with Gary Beban for the Conference Championship, National Championship, and Heisman Trophy on the line for Beban or Simpson. USC won 21–20 and went on to defeat Indiana in the Rose Bowl and win the national championship. Despite Simpson's sensational performance in this game and accumulating 1,543 rushing yards for the season, Beban won the Heisman Trophy. Simpson won the trophy the following year.

Other notable games

Rivalry glory years

Between 1965 and 1978, the conference championship and Rose Bowl berth were on the line for both teams nine times. In two other years (1975 and 1977) between 1965 and 1978, the Rose Bowl berth was on the line for UCLA only. The USC coaches during this time were John McKay and John Robinson, while UCLA was coached by Tommy Prothro, Pepper Rodgers, Dick Vermeil, and Terry Donahue.

Basketball

Men's

UCLA has 31 conference championships and USC has seven. When John Wooden became the coach, UCLA turned into a national basketball powerhouse, and the Bruins have since become known as one of the blue bloods in college basketball. UCLA has won 11 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournaments and has dominated the conference, winning two games for every one that USC won. As of the 2013–2014 season, UCLA has won or shared the conference title 31 times, and USC has won or shared the title 9 times. There have been some notable games in the rivalry.

Men's Basketball series record

Score sources:

Women's

In women's basketball, UCLA has one AIAW championship and USC has two NCAA championships. USC won its second title in 1984 at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins and Trojans faced each other twice in the second round of the AIAW championships, with UCLA winning in 1979 and USC winning in 1981.

Other notable sports rivalries

Because of the geographical proximity and conference affiliation, UCLA and USC compete in other NCAA-sanctioned sports, such as Basketball, Track and Field, Volleyball, and Water Polo. UCLA and USC are #1 and #3 respectively in terms of the most NCAA championships won in Division I as of 2007. They have faced each other for the national title in several sports including men's volleyball and women's water polo. Although basketball and football tend to get the most attention, the rivalry between the two schools is intense in every sport.

Baseball

The athletic rivalry began in 1920 when the University of California, Southern Branch Cubs defeated USC in spring baseball 7–6. USC has gone on to be the premier team in college baseball with 21 appearances in the College World Series and 12 titles, the most of any school and double the next closest school, Texas, who has six titles in 34 appearances. UCLA has appeared in the College World Series five times. UCLA won its first NCAA Baseball title in 2013. As of the start of the 2021 season, USC leads UCLA in the series 263-144. Since 2010, UCLA and USC have met in the second game of a college baseball doubleheader at Dodger Stadium called the Dodgertown classic as well as a three-game conference series.

Fencing

Both the USC Fencing Club and UCLA fencing club are in the Intercollegeiate Fencing Conference of Southern California (IFCSC). They compete against NCAA fencing teams as well, such as UCSD, Caltech, and ASU.

Soccer

UCLA women's soccer team has dominated the Women of Troy, 22–5–1. But at the 2007 NCAA College Cup, USC won in the semi-finals, ending UCLA's 8 straight victories over the Trojans. USC went on to be the first Pac-10 (as it was called at the time) school to win the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship. In the 2008 regular season game, a pair of goals by Kristina Larsen gave UCLA a 2–1 win over USC in the Los Angeles Coliseum before a record crowd of 7,804 fans. To advance to the NCAA Championship quarterfinals, the Bruins defeated the Women of Troy (1–0) in the round of 16 on Saturday, November 22, 2008, at Drake Stadium. It was also a battle between UCLA's Lauren Cheney and Kara Lang and USC's Amy Rodriguez, all of whom participated in the Beijing Olympic Games—Cheney and Rodriguez for the USA and Lang for Canada. Cheney and Rodriguez would win gold medals with Team USA, defeating Lang's Canada team in the quarterfinals. UCLA won the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship in 2013, defeating Florida State 1–0 in overtime. In 2016, UCLA bested USC 1–0 in the regular season finale. This motivated USC team to knock off 6 straight teams including top ranked West Virginia 3–1 in the finals to win their second NCAA National Title.

Tennis

USC and UCLA are two of the three winningest Men's tennis programs. As of the 2014 season, USC has won 21 NCAA Men's Tennis Championships and UCLA has won 16. This is the most, and third most, with Stanford being the second most with 17 championships. USC won five of up to 2014 (2009–2012, 2014), while UCLA's most recent Championship was in 2005. There was a run from 1960 to 1971 where either UCLA or USC was the champion. In twelve of the tournaments, one team has been runner-up to the other who won the championship, with an even split of six championships for both UCLA and USC. UCLA has won two NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships, most recently in 2014. USC won in 1983 and 1985.

Volleyball

UCLA has dominated men's volleyball under the coaching of Al Scates. As of 2023, UCLA has won 20 NCAA championships. The next closest school is Pepperdine with five NCAA titles. USC has won four NCAA titles, the third-winningest program in the sport. UCLA and USC have faced each other in the championship game of the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship four times. In women's volleyball, UCLA won the 2011 national championship. UCLA now has won four and USC has won three Division I championships. In addition, USC and UCLA have won three AIAW Women's volleyball championships. In 1981 USC defeated UCLA three sets to two in the first NCAA Division I women's volleyball championship match. In 1976 USC defeated UCLA to win the AIAW volleyball championship.

Water polo

The two schools compete in water polo. In men's, UCLA carries a slight lead over USC in the all-time series of 80–76–1. In the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship, the two school are tied with 9 championships apiece. UCLA won the most recent championship in 2014, with USC winning the prior 6 titles dating back to 2008. Due to the low number of schools participating in the sport and the State of California's dominance (no team from outside of California has ever played in the championship match), title game matches between the two teams are relatively common, occurring in 1996, 2009, 2012, and 2012. In title game matches, USC holds a 3–2 advantage. UCLA won 8–7 in 1996, and 9–8 in 2014, while USC won 7–6 in 2009, 7–4 in 2011, and 11–10 in 2012. In women's water polo, UCLA has a commanding 46–22 lead over USC in the all-time series. In the NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship, UCLA dominated early on, winning 7 of the first 9 NCAA Championships, including the first tournament in 2001. USC has won 4, most recently in 2016. The two teams have faced each other in the women's title game 3 times, in 2006, 2008, and 2009. UCLA won all 3 matches by scores of 9–8, 6–3, and 5–4, respectively. All three wins were part of UCLA's streak of 5 consecutive championships.

Golf

In February 2023, the UCLA and USC Women's golf teams began a head to head competition named The Battle For the Bell. A replica of the Football series Victory Bell is the trophy.

Olympic athletes

Both UCLA and USC send many athletes to the Olympic Games. As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, USC athletes account for 326 medals and UCLA athletes account for 270. A USC Trojan has been a Gold medal winner in every summer Olympics since 1912. As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, UCLA and USC athletes combined account for more than one fifth of all medals won by the United States of America. Their 596 combined medals would rank sixth on the country list.

Rivalry beyond sports

The UCLA–USC rivalry extends beyond athletics, as both universities are often ranked highly in academic lists. Both were Top 30 in U.S. News & World Report's 2022 National University Rankings (UCLA at No. 20, USC at No. 27). Graduate schools at both universities are among the top in their fields. High schools in Southern California send some of their top graduates to both schools every year, as do community colleges around Los Angeles. Since the universities share the same city, the rivalry is also a microcosm of a geopolitical rivalry based upon location, cost of attendance and growth patterns of the schools.

Geography

The crosstown rivals are separated by just 11 miles, with UCLA located on the Westside of Los Angeles. The Westwood campus is nestled between several affluent and desirable communities: Brentwood, Bel-Air and Beverly Hills. Although the area was relatively remote and unsettled at the time of UCLA's move to the campus in 1929, a century of growth in the area has made the location a bustling hub. In 2012, Bruins football coach Jim Mora said he sold recruits on the safety of UCLA's campus location: "I mean, we don't have murders one block off our campus." He denied he was making a reference to USC, where two graduate students had been murdered near campus just months earlier. USC, by contrast, is located in the University Park neighborhood of South Los Angeles by Exposition Park. It was a fashionable area in the early years of the city, but the 20th century saw the rapid decline of the area's manufacturing base and increasing crime. By the early 2000s, the crime rate had declined significantly and the city began an effort to "erase a stigma that has dogged the southern part of the city" by changing the name from "South Central" to "South Los Angeles". The university has recently expanded its campus reach in the area with a renovated USC Village town center for retail and residential space.

Funding and cost of attendance

The University of California is a public university, while the University of Southern California is a private university. As a public university, UCLA offers discounted tuition for California residents. UCLA's estimated cost of attendance (tuition and fees, housing and meals, books, etc.) for 2021-22 is approximately $36,297 for in-state students vs. $66,051 for out-of-state students. At USC, no differentiation in fees is made for students and the estimated cost of attendance for 2021-22 is $81,659. Costs of attendance at both universities can be offset by financial aid, in the form of loans or grants based on merit or need or both. This includes athletic scholarships.

Founding

USC was established in 1880, at a time when Los Angeles had a population of 11,000. The university formally opened with 53 students and 10 faculty. UCLA was founded in 1919 when California Gov. William D. Stephens signed California Assembly Bill 626, establishing the Southern Branch of the University of California. The university became the University of California at Los Angeles in 1926 (the “at” was replaced by a comma in 1958), and moved to its current campus in 1929.

UCLA–USC rivalry in popular culture

Other Pac-12 football rivalries

Other Crosstown Rivalries in Los Angeles

Footnotes