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The crosstown rivalry

UCLA vs. USC

UCLA and USC first met in 1929 and have played 95 times; officially, USC leads 52–⁠34–⁠7; as played, 54–⁠34–⁠7. Over the last 10 meetings it’s USC 7–⁠3, and USC has won the last 2. The winner takes home the Victory Bell, played for since 1942. USC has held it since the 2024 game. The NCAA vacated USC’s two wins (2004 and 2005); they don’t count officially. This page counts every game as it was played. By the rivalry’s Wikipedia article, USC leads 53–⁠34–⁠7 over 94 meetings.

Scheduled 2027 at USC; 2028 at UCLA. As the programs’ Wikipedia articles list them (CC BY-SA).

Official series
USC leads 52–⁠34–⁠7
UCLA wins on file
34
USC wins on file
54
Ties
7
First meeting
1929
Longest streak
8 UCLA
Current streak
2 USC
Last 10 meetings
USC 7–⁠3
Most recent
2025

The series at a glance

’0’1’2’3’4’5’6’7’8’9W–L
1920s0–⁠1
1930s0–⁠3–⁠2
1940s2–⁠9–⁠2
1950s7–⁠2–⁠1
1960s3–⁠7
1970s2–⁠7–⁠1
1980s5–⁠4–⁠1
1990s8–⁠2
2000s1–⁠9
2010s4–⁠6
2020s2–⁠4
Both ranked
26 meetings: UCLA 12, USC 13; 12 both in the top 10
Average margin
13.3 points; 37 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
At UCLA
17–⁠27–⁠3 UCLA’s record at home
At USC
27–⁠17–⁠4 USC’s record at home
Shutouts
9

Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.

Victory Bell

Played for since
1942
Held by
USC since the 2024 game
Games for it on file
87 UCLA 34, USC 49, 4 tied

Who holds it comes from the games on file: the winner of the latest regular-season meeting since 1942 (bowl rematches aren’t played for it); a tie leaves it with the holder, as the rivalry’s article says. The rivalry’s article counts the games for it: USC leads, 49–⁠34–⁠4. From Wikipedia’s list of rivalry games and the rivalry’s article (CC BY-SA). More on the Victory Bell.

Games that tell the story

  1. UCLA’s biggest win1950: UCLA 39, USC 0by 39 points
  2. USC’s biggest win1929: USC 76, UCLA 0by 76 points
  3. Upset1959: UCLA 10, USC 3UCLA had a 23% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
  4. Upset2006: UCLA 13, USC 9UCLA had a 26% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
  5. Upset1995: UCLA 24, USC 20UCLA had a 29% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
  6. Ranked showdown1976: USC 24, UCLA 14No. 3 USC at No. 2 UCLA
  7. Ranked showdown1967: USC 21, UCLA 20No. 1 UCLA at No. 4 USC
  8. Ranked showdown1952: USC 14, UCLA 12No. 4 USC at No. 3 UCLA

Coach against coach

YearsUCLASeriesUSC
1929–⁠1938William Spaulding0–⁠4–⁠1Howard Jones
1942–⁠1944Babe Horrell1–⁠3–⁠1Jeff Cravath
1945–⁠1948Bert LaBrucherie1–⁠4Jeff Cravath
1951–⁠1956Red Sanders4–⁠2Jess Hill
1960–⁠1964Bill Barnes1–⁠4John McKay
1965–⁠1970Tommy Prothro3–⁠3John McKay
1971–⁠1973Pepper Rodgers0–⁠2–⁠1John McKay
1976–⁠1995Terry Donahue5–⁠5John Robinson
1983–⁠1986Terry Donahue3–⁠1Ted Tollner
1987–⁠1992Terry Donahue2–⁠3–⁠1Larry Smith
1998–⁠2000Bob Toledo1–⁠2Paul Hackett
2003–⁠2007Karl Dorrell1–⁠4Pete Carroll
2015–⁠2017Jim Mora0–⁠3Clay Helton
2018–⁠2020Chip Kelly1–⁠2Clay Helton

Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from UCLA’s side (Spaulding 0–⁠4–⁠1 against Jones). A season split between coaches goes to the one credited with the game.

Both programs through the years

End-of-season Elo ratings of UCLA and USC, 1929 on130015001700190019401960198020002020

Our Elo rating at the end of each season, a measure of how strong a team was, not a forecast; 1500 is an average FBS team.

Stars of the series

Biggest days

Kedon Slovis USC37 of 47, 515 yards, 4 TD2019 Passing
Matt Barkley USC35 of 42, 423 yards, 6 TD2011 Passing
Josh Rosen UCLA32 of 52, 421 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT2017 Passing
Dorian Thompson-Robinson UCLA30 of 36, 364 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT2020 Passing
Kedon Slovis USC30 of 47, 344 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT2020 Passing
Joshua Kelley UCLA40 carries, 289 yards, 2 TD2018 Rushing

Biggest days: the week’s best individual games by our big-days rule, from box scores (2004 on).

From the newspapers

  • The The Daily Alaska empire's story of the 1936 game: UNDERDOC UCLA ELEVEN IN TIE With TR0JANS Southern California Passing Attack Evens Score In Third Quarter

    1936 · The Daily Alaska empire, Juneau, Alaska, Nov 27, 1936

  • The Imperial Valley press's story of the 1938 game: use TrampIes Bruins. 42-7

    1938 · Imperial Valley press, California, Nov 25, 1938

  • The The Daily Alaska empire's story of the 1940 game: s||||l2{sf||

    1940 · The Daily Alaska empire, Alaska, Dec 2, 1940

  • The Evening star's story of the 1942 game: Bruins '14-7Win Is Their First Over U. 5. {. Play ConservotiveIy After Scoring; Foe Makes Late Threat

    1942 · Evening star, District of Columbia, Dec 13, 1942

  • The The Daily Alaska empire's story of the 1944 game: LARGE CROWD SEES USC WIN BOWL BID

    1944 · The Daily Alaska empire, Nov 27, 1944

Public-domain newspapers from the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America, found through the American Stories dataset (Dell and Harvard, CC BY 4.0). The earliest meetings with a story on file; each game’s page has the full text.

On television

ESPN’s College GameDay has broadcast from this game once: 2005.

2025NBC2.2 million viewers

College GameDay’s sites from Wikipedia’s list of its locations (CC BY-SA). Viewers: Nielsen, as compiled by nschultz7’s ratings tracker.

Photos

From the rivalry’s and its games’ categories on Wikimedia Commons (free licenses only, each credited).

Every game

Nov 28, 2026USC at UCLA upcomingat UCLA
Nov 29, 202519USC 29, UCLA 10at USC
Nov 23, 2024USC 19, UCLA 13at UCLA
Nov 18, 2023UCLA 38, USC 20at USC
Nov 19, 20227USC 48, 16UCLA 45at UCLA
Nov 20, 2021UCLA 62, USC 33at USC
Dec 12, 202016USC 43, UCLA 38at UCLA
Nov 23, 2019USC 52, UCLA 35at USC
Nov 17, 2018UCLA 34, USC 27at UCLA
Nov 18, 201712USC 28, UCLA 23at USC
Nov 19, 201615USC 36, UCLA 14at UCLA
Nov 28, 2015USC 40, 22UCLA 21at USC
Nov 22, 201411UCLA 38, 24USC 20at UCLA
Nov 30, 201322UCLA 35, 23USC 14at USC
Nov 17, 201217UCLA 38, 21USC 28at UCLA
Nov 26, 201110USC 50, UCLA 0at USC
Dec 4, 2010USC 28, UCLA 14at UCLA
Nov 28, 200924USC 28, UCLA 7at USC
Dec 6, 20085USC 28, UCLA 7at UCLA
Dec 1, 20078USC 24, UCLA 7at USC
Dec 2, 2006UCLA 13, 2USC 9at UCLA
Dec 3, 20051USC 66, 11UCLA 19vacatedat USC
Dec 4, 20041USC 29, UCLA 24vacatedat UCLA
Nov 22, 20032USC 47, UCLA 22at USC
Nov 23, 20027USC 52, 25UCLA 21at UCLA
Nov 17, 2001USC 27, 20UCLA 0at USC
Nov 18, 2000USC 38, UCLA 35at UCLA
Nov 20, 1999USC 17, UCLA 7at USC
Nov 21, 19983UCLA 34, USC 17at UCLA
Nov 22, 19977UCLA 31, USC 24at USC
Nov 23, 1996UCLA 48, USC 41at UCLA
Nov 18, 1995UCLA 24, 11USC 20at USC
Nov 19, 1994UCLA 31, 13USC 19at UCLA
Nov 20, 199316UCLA 27, 22USC 21at USC
Nov 21, 1992UCLA 38, 15USC 37at UCLA
Nov 23, 199125UCLA 24, USC 21at USC
Nov 17, 199019USC 45, UCLA 42at UCLA
Nov 18, 19898USC 10, UCLA 10at USC
Nov 19, 19882USC 31, 6UCLA 22at UCLA
Nov 21, 1987USC 17, 5UCLA 13at USC
Nov 22, 198618UCLA 45, 10USC 25at UCLA
Nov 23, 1985USC 17, 8UCLA 13at USC
Nov 17, 1984UCLA 29, 7USC 10at UCLA
Nov 19, 1983UCLA 27, USC 17at USC
Nov 20, 198211UCLA 20, 15USC 19at UCLA
Nov 21, 198110USC 22, 15UCLA 21at USC
Nov 22, 198018UCLA 20, 12USC 17at UCLA
Nov 24, 19794USC 49, UCLA 14at USC
Nov 18, 19785USC 17, 14UCLA 10at UCLA
Nov 25, 1977USC 29, 17UCLA 27at USC
Nov 20, 19763USC 24, 2UCLA 14at UCLA
Nov 28, 197514UCLA 25, USC 22at USC
Nov 23, 19748USC 34, UCLA 9at UCLA
Nov 24, 19739USC 23, 8UCLA 13at USC
Nov 18, 19721USC 24, 14UCLA 7at UCLA
Nov 20, 197115USC 7, UCLA 7at USC
Nov 21, 1970UCLA 45, USC 20at UCLA
Nov 22, 19695USC 14, 6UCLA 12at USC
Nov 23, 19681USC 28, UCLA 16at UCLA
Nov 18, 19674USC 21, 1UCLA 20at USC
Nov 19, 19668UCLA 14, 7USC 7at UCLA
Nov 20, 19657UCLA 20, 6USC 16at USC
Nov 21, 1964USC 34, UCLA 13at UCLA
Nov 30, 1963USC 26, UCLA 6at USC
Nov 24, 19621USC 14, UCLA 3at UCLA
Nov 25, 1961UCLA 10, USC 7at USC
Nov 19, 1960USC 17, 11UCLA 6at UCLA
Nov 21, 1959UCLA 10, 4USC 3at USC
Nov 22, 1958UCLA 15, USC 15at UCLA
Nov 23, 1957UCLA 20, USC 9at USC
Nov 24, 1956USC 10, UCLA 7at UCLA
Nov 19, 1955UCLA 17, USC 7at USC
Nov 20, 19542UCLA 34, 7USC 0at UCLA
Nov 21, 19535UCLA 13, 9USC 0at USC
Nov 22, 19524USC 14, 3UCLA 12at UCLA
Nov 24, 1951UCLA 21, 11USC 7at USC
Nov 25, 1950UCLA 39, USC 0at UCLA
Nov 19, 1949USC 21, UCLA 7at USC
Nov 20, 1948USC 20, UCLA 13at UCLA
Nov 22, 19474USC 6, 18UCLA 0at USC
Nov 23, 19464UCLA 13, 10USC 6at UCLA
Dec 1, 194516USC 26, UCLA 15at USC
Sep 21, 1945USC 13, UCLA 6at UCLA
Nov 25, 19448USC 40, UCLA 13at UCLA
Sep 23, 1944USC 13, UCLA 13at USC
Nov 27, 1943USC 26, UCLA 13at USC
Sep 25, 1943USC 20, UCLA 0at UCLA
Dec 12, 1942UCLA 14, USC 7at USC
Dec 6, 1941UCLA 7, USC 7at UCLA
Nov 30, 1940USC 28, UCLA 12at USC
Dec 9, 19399UCLA 0, 3USC 0at UCLA
Nov 24, 193814USC 42, UCLA 7at USC
Dec 4, 1937USC 19, UCLA 13at UCLA
Nov 26, 1936USC 7, UCLA 7at USC
Sep 27, 1930USC 52, UCLA 0at UCLA
Sep 28, 1929USC 76, UCLA 0at USC

Every game is listed as played on the field; a win the NCAA later vacated is marked “vacated”; the official series above counts them the NCAA’s way.