LOS ANGELES (AP) — UCLA has a large number of transfer players and program newcomers who don't know much about the Bruins' near-century-old football rivalry with No. 19 Southern California, so interim head coach Tim Skipper decided to do something about it.
His staff put together a five-minute video distilling the essence of this annual crosstown showdown, and Skipper showed it to the Bruins for a shot of motivation late in a difficult season in Westwood.
“I wanted to make sure everybody knew how significant this game was, and how both teams wear their home colors for the game and you get to paint the Victory Bell,” said Skipper, who's in his first year at UCLA himself. “As a kid, I always watched the UCLA-SC game. It always mattered, no matter where we lived. Coming from a coaching family, we moved around a little bit. It’s awesome to finally be part of this thing. You watch it so much, (but I've) never been to one of these games.”
The 95th edition of this crosstown showdown happens Saturday at the Coliseum, where both teams will wear their home jerseys while wrapping up regular seasons that fell short of expectations — even if the Trojans (8-3, 6-2 Big Ten) got a whole lot closer than the Bruins (3-8, 3-5).
USC is a big favorite to retain the Victory Bell after winning 19 of the past 26 matchups, including two of three under coach Lincoln Riley. The Trojans could have a letdown after their College Football Playoff hopes were dashed last week in a road loss to Oregon, but Riley — who got a large chunk of his roster from LA-area high schools — isn't worried about his team finishing strong, simply because of the identity of Saturday's opponent.
“It's so unique,” Riley said. "I've been a part of some really good (rivalries), and this one stacks right up there. The proximity, the familiarity of the teams, the players, it's such a unique rivalry. I love it, man. It's important to the city, to both schools, and it's one I look forward to every single year."
The game is expected to be Skipper’s last in charge at UCLA after taking over for the fired DeShaun Foster in September, but he is trying to make it count. His coaching staff also brought in several former players to speak to the current Bruins about the rivalry's importance.
Much of USC's current roster played in the Trojans' 19-13 win over the Bruins at the Rose Bowl last season. Jayden Maiava's TD pass to Ja'Kobi Lane midway through the fourth quarter provided the decisive points in the fifth consecutive victory by the road teams in the series.
Running back King Miller, the walk-on who has become a breakout star with 749 yards rushing, is among the Los Angeles-area natives on the USC roster who are eager to put a stamp on the rivalry.
“All of the guys are ready to go out there with a bang in this last game,” Miller said. “Growing up watching this, it's always been something I loved to watch. To actually be out there physically is going to be one to remember.”
The Bruins haven't said whether quarterback Nico Iamaleava will play. He is experiencing neck spasms after a helmet-to-helmet hit in the third quarter of UCLA's loss to Washington last weekend.
The Trojans will settle for an upper-tier bowl game after road losses to Illinois, Notre Dame and the Ducks. They could still finish their home schedule unbeaten with a seventh win while boosting the candidacy of Makai Lemon for the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver.
AP Sports Writer Beth Harris contributed to this report.
AP college football: https://apnews.com/college-football
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
We're excited to announce our India Community Travel in Spring 2026! Join this virtual Zoom … Read moreTravel to India Information Session (Online)
“A dazzling delight for all ages” Read moreRodger's & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Cathy Baird said:
Root beer gulag. But it’s Friday. I assumed the DJ didn’t publish yesterday.
markolbert said:
Root beer gulag. Diet root beer gulag. Sasparilla prison. Oops that didn’t autocorrect.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.