The rise of USC and UCLA make college football relevant in Los Angeles again

LOS ANGELES -- The Rose Bowl property container was shaking. UCLA backmost Dorian Thompson-Robinson had recovered wide receiver Logan Loya connected a crossing way crossed the mediate and the receiver had turned it into a 70-yard touchdown. The people enactment the Bruins up 10 points connected No. 11 Utah and sent the assemblage connected manus -- astir of the season-high 42,038 sitting successful the shaded broadside of the stadium -- into a frenzy.

If it took a 2nd for those wrong the container to announcement the movement, it's due to the fact that the Rose Bowl property container hasn't moved much, if astatine all, this season. After 2 games with less than 35,000 fans successful attendance, the Bruins' 4-0 commencement had much radical gawking astatine half-empty stadium pictures online than witnesses connected hand.

But the sport's astir storied venue got much crowded erstwhile UCLA upset Washington connected Sept. 30 to gain a No. 18 ranking successful the polls and a big of nationalist attention. The snowball effect carried implicit to Saturday's kickoff against Utah. Before the game, the Rose Bowl sidelines were peppered with a plethora of alumni, erstwhile players, boosters and guests that had shown up to ticker the Bruins lukewarm up and yet determination to 6-0.

"The vigor and excitement astir this squad is palpable," UCLA diversion manager Martin Jarmond told ESPN. "Best shot successful the state is being played astatine the Rose Bowl."

About 14 miles southwest of the Rose Bowl, a fewer hours aft the Bruins pulled disconnected their 2nd upset successful 2 weeks, USC diversion manager Mike Bohn and USC president Carol Folt stood astatine the southbound extremity portion of the Los Angeles Coliseum and continued what has go tradition: greeting players and coaches aft wins. On Saturday night, a lei-wearing Lincoln Riley shook hands with Bohn and Folt earlier greeting recruits arsenic helium walked disconnected the tract 6-0 arsenic USC caput manager aft beating Washington State. The programme hasn't been 6-0 since 2006 -- oregon arsenic radical astir these parts much commonly cognize it, the Pete Carroll days.

"I deliberation it's truly positive," Bohn told ESPN of the 2 schools being undefeated. "This is what makes L.A. sports great."

Saturday marked a unsocial time successful the city: Over the people of 8 hours, crossed aggregate L.A. freeways filled with traffic, UCLA proved it belonged successful the precocious echelon of assemblage football, portion USC continued to show traits of an elite team. The past clip some teams were undefeated done the archetypal six games was 2005. A batch has changed since -- astatine each program, successful the metropolis (there are 2 NFL teams now!) -- but aft a fistful of down years for assemblage shot successful L.A., things are looking up connected some sides of town.

"To win successful L.A., you not lone request to win," said Jeff Fellenzer, a prof of sports, concern and media astatine USC who grew up successful a UCLA household. "You request to triumph and beryllium entertaining erstwhile you win, and you request to person prima power, and [both teams] are checking each those boxes."

ON THE CONCOURSE level of the stadium, conscionable beneath the Rose Bowl boxes and suites that were filled Saturday, UCLA has a plaque labeling its biggest donors. In the "$100,000 oregon more" category, 1 sanction stands retired supra the rest: Troy Aikman.

The erstwhile Bruin and NFL Hall of Famer called UCLA's attendance issues "an embarrassment" conscionable a fewer weeks agone but said those issues adjacent plagued his UCLA squad erstwhile it was No. 1 successful the nation. Aikman called for a smaller, on-campus stadium, but if you've ever been to Westwood -- oregon the westbound broadside of L.A. for that substance -- you cognize that's astir apt not happening immoderate clip soon.

Attendance has been a moving taxable for the Bruins, whose field is 30 miles crossed the metropolis from the Rose Bowl. The caller L.A. vigor question and lackluster opponents meant the archetypal 3 games' attendance didn't scope 40,000, with the opening crippled against Bowling Green featuring lone 27,143. Tarps covering ample sections of the stadium person remained adjacent done this week. As manager Chip Kelly pointed retired recently, the Bruins besides person to woody with the information that the UC schoolhouse strategy is connected quarters, not semesters, which means students don't get connected field until astir Week 3 of the season.

"It would beryllium similar holding a location shot crippled astatine USC successful precocious July. I mean, it seems silly," Fellenzer said. "That's a existent factor."

Fellenzer, who has missed lone 1 (non-pandemic season) UCLA-USC crippled successful idiosyncratic since 1964, was successful the property container earlier this play erstwhile UCLA faced South Alabama and recalled seeing virtually nary pupil conception due to the fact that schoolhouse was not successful session. He has since returned arsenic a instrumentality against Washington and Utah.

"There was much energy," Fellenzer said of the crippled against Utah. "There was a feeling that possibly thing peculiar was astir the corner."

Indeed, the vibe among fans astatine the Rose Bowl connected Saturday was that of anticipation. If this Bruins squad was going to support beating teams the remainder of the state said were better, they wanted to beryllium determination to witnesser it.

UCLA, for its part, has besides tried to marque the crippled acquisition amended for fans truthful that attendance isn't solely based connected results. Against Washington, it featured fireworks pregame, a halftime fireworks amusement and lights coordinated to euphony arsenic good arsenic an in-game MC. The second is thing USC has besides had the past fewer years. Whether those amusement features are bringing much fans to the stadium is hard to gauge, but the constituent seems to beryllium to heighten the acquisition for those who bash amusement up.

Percentage-wise, attendance has been amended astatine USC (averaging conscionable beneath 80% capableness connected location games this season), owed successful ample portion to the renewed consciousness of absorption from hiring Riley and bringing successful transfers Caleb Williams and Jordan Addison. Players who person been successful the programme the past fewer seasons accidental they person noticed a difference.

"Tonight was electric," said elder violative lineman Andrew Vorhees aft Saturday's game, which featured much than 63,000 fans.

Vorhees remembers the 2017 crippled against Texas erstwhile the Coliseum was astir sold out. He's hoping that if the Trojans support playing similar this, they'll get adjacent to different sellout this season.

Winning remains king, and with USC and UCLA facing pugnacious roadworthy matchups astatine Utah (Oct. 15) and Oregon (Oct. 22), respectively, distant crippled results mightiness beryllium what acceptable the code for the location ambiance the remainder of the season. For now, though, the winning has some those successful bluish and cardinal wearing rose-colored glasses.

After Friday night's win, 1 UCLA authoritative was heard yelling done the hallways, "What are they going to accidental now?" And connected Saturday, adjacent Aikman logged backmost connected Twitter to nonstop a congratulatory connection to Kelly's squad and springiness credence to the slow-brewing Heisman hype gathering astir Thompson-Robinson.

Great triumph contiguous for Chip Kelly and the 6-0 UCLA Bruins successful the biggest trial of the play and @doriansTweets enactment himself successful the Heisman Trophy speech w different outstanding performance🙌🏼 @UCLAFootball @UCLAAthletics

"UCLA wins that game, past the sky's the bounds successful what you could sprout for this season," Fellenzer said. "I deliberation that was that feeling successful the air, adjacent though it was besides a hotter time than I deliberation immoderate of america expected. Everybody was benignant of consenting to endure that due to the fact that present determination was thing to truly get excited about."

COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN modern-day Los Angeles is simply a vexing proposition. Though some UCLA and USC person fervent instrumentality bases and alumni groups, there's nary centralized hub astir either programme due to the fact that of the sprawling quality of the city. USC comes close, with its field walking region to the Coliseum, but the proximity to downtown some means there's plentifulness of different things astir and immoderate instrumentality coming to the crippled is apt making a superior commute.

Insert the obligatory L.A. postulation remark here.

Sometimes successful L.A., though, adjacent winning mightiness not beryllium enough. The mode successful which that winning is done and with whom, matters, too. It's cliché, but the metropolis loves its stars.

"I deliberation a large portion of it is having these 2 electrical quarterbacks who are worthy the terms of admission," Fellenzer said. "It reminds maine a spot of those Aikman-[Rodney] Peete matchups successful 1987 erstwhile you had large prima powerfulness astatine quarterback."

Football, arsenic an amusement product, has ever been astir the backmost first. And some USC and UCLA this play person imaginable Heisman Trophy contenders successful Williams and Thompson-Robinson. So acold this season, the 2 person had their stock of highlights and performances, which has been the programs' astir effectual signifier of advertising. Because of the city's size, transient colonisation and aggregate teams for each large sport, there's nary azygous unifying team. The Dodgers and Lakers are the teams that travel closest to turning sports successful L.A. into a monoculture. USC and UCLA's appeal, though, lies astatine the bosom of that precise split. Their rivalry is the city's best. Yet it's besides astatine its champion lone erstwhile the 2 teams are playing well. Recently, that hasn't been the case. With some the Trojans and Bruins struggling connected the tract the past fewer seasons, determination has been nary reason, arsenic acold arsenic L.A. sports fans are concerned, to marque the trek to downtown oregon Pasadena.

Riley hasn't shied distant from accepting the world of being a sports squad successful L.A., alluding to the information that helium knows the crowds volition travel if they support winning.

"We recognize that successful this city, and I deliberation it's fair, we gotta spell beryllium who we are arsenic a team," Riley said aft the play opener. "We're going to bash everything we tin arsenic a squad to support moving truthful that radical can't adjacent basal the thought of not coming to a USC shot game."

In the span of a fewer weeks, winning has changed the tone, oregon astatine the precise least, fixed the matchup betwixt the 2 teams successful mid-November with a batch much juice. As soon arsenic some teams won Saturday, many, including Fellenzer, scanned the remaining docket for each squad to spot what the anticipation of some teams going undefeated into that crippled could be.

Fellenzer was speedy to constituent out, though, that if the 2 stay undefeated heading into this year's installment of The Game, it mightiness inactive not apical the 1967 game. That season, UCLA was No. 1 successful the country, USC was No. 4, and some teams boasted Heisman candidates -- RB O.J. Simpson for USC, QB Gary Beban for UCLA. That crippled besides decided the Pac-8 champion, the Rose Bowl subordinate and the nationalist champion. The Trojans went connected to triumph the crippled 21-20, but Beban went connected to triumph the Heisman.

Of course, due to the fact that of the Pac-12's caller rules this season, determination is simply a accidental that UCLA and USC look each different doubly -- erstwhile successful their mean regular-season matchup (this year's volition beryllium astatine the Rose Bowl) and past again little connected Dec. 3 successful Las Vegas -- Thompson-Robinson's hometown -- with the Pac-12 title connected the line.

"Even if 1 of them loses, I inactive deliberation it volition beryllium a monolithic crippled this year," Fellenzer said. "I don't cognize however galore tickets would beryllium disposable for the Rose Bowl, but I deliberation you would get a immense crowd."

AFTER THE CLOCK deed zero astatine The Rose Bowl connected Saturday, UCLA fans stayed. They crowded the stands adjacent the tunnels, gave ovations to Kelly and Thompson-Robinson -- the erstwhile was uncharacteristically blessed postgame, inviting much questions adjacent aft helium was expected to beryllium done -- and basked successful the glory of occurrence that felt overdue.

As the remainder of the squad and Utah trickled into the stadium tunnel, 1 UCLA instrumentality stayed backmost and made definite to get the visiting team's attention. He wasn't reasoning astir the bye week. Or astir playing No. 12 Oregon successful Eugene aft that.

"Hey Utah!" helium called retired to the remaining players and fans. "You spell bushed SC adjacent week! Beat SC!"

Much similar astatine USC, wherever the set plays "Tusk," which features the "UCLA sucks" chants astatine the extremity of each victory, the 2 rivals ne'er look to beryllium acold distant from each other's thoughts. Should they some support winning, that sentiment volition lone proceed to heighten and from downtown to the eastside, the crowds should proceed to get louder, too.