The Famous USC vs. UCLA Football Rivalry

There are many storied sports rivalries among the nation’s colleges and universities, and one of the longest running such rivalries is that between the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Southern California. While USC is most known for their success in football, and UCLA for their history of great basketball teams, rankings and records can be tossed aside when these two meet.

The University of California, Los Angeles is situated on 419 acres in Westwood Village area of Los Angeles, about 5 miles from the Pacific coast, while the University of Southern California has multiple campuses in and around the city of Los Angeles. If you journey around the Los Angeles area, you are certain to observe students and fans of both institutions clad in their respective school’s colors.

Both universities are members of the Pac 10 Athletic Conference, and on many occasions, the winner of their annual football game has won the conference championship and its automatic berth in the famed Rose Bowl. In 2006, USC was thought to be a lock for the game that would determine the NCAA’s division 1 football champion. UCLA however, had other plans, and by the end of that game, UCLA had beaten USC, 13 - 9. This game was a shock to most of those who follow college football, but was exactly what UCLA coach Karl Dorrell and his entire team and their supporters expected. It’s been rumored that Ohio State’s coaching staff and many team members sighed in relief when they realized they would not have to face USC in the national championship game. The relief was short lived, as the University of Florida summarily destroyed them in the national title game.

There are numerous reasons there is such a healthy rivalry between these two universities. They are very close geographically, they share the same media markets, they compete for the same high school athletes and the fact that the faculty and students’ lives are closely connected.

The Pacific Coast Conference was established in 1915 with USC a charter member. USC had established a football powerhouse by the time UCLA joined the conference in 1929. The games of ‘29 and ‘30 were so lop-sided in favor of USC that games between the two were suspended until UCLA had better established their program in the mid to late ‘30s. UCLA had become a national power and dominated the series by the 1950s, culminating in their lone national championship in 1954. West Coast Football was dominated by either USC or UCLA through much of the 1960’s and 1970’s. UCLA was victorious in 8 straight games from 1991 thru 1998, then with the transformation of the USC program by Pete Carrol’s coaching staff, USC took the next seven games through the 2005 season.

Early in the 2007 season USC is again considered the team to beat, both in conference, and nationally. One thing is for sure, UCLA will be gunning for USC once again this football season. Just as surely, USC will be looking to avenge last season’s disappointing loss. USC and UCLA fans alike will can look forward to an eternity of rivalry between these two famous universities.

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Mark Anderson writes for ClickitTicket.com where you can buy football tickets such as UCLA vs. USC tickets www.oakwebworks.com/tickets/college-football/pac-10/UCLA-USC-Tickets.asp

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