LOS ANGELES—Tommy Trojan is covered in duct tape and the Bruin Bear is in hibernation.  That only means one thing.  The USC-UCLA football game is coming up.

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will be the location of the 77th game between USC and UCLA. Photo by HanNa Lee

The last time these two teams met, one was on its way to play in the National Championship game.  UCLA triumphed over USC that year, 13-9, and USC lost its chance to play for the National Championship, but triumphed in the Rose Bowl.

This is the 77^th game between USC and UCLA.  So far, USC leads the series with 41 wins.  UCLA has won 28 games. There have been 7 tied games. UCLA also has the longest winning streak in the series, 8 games.  USC would have tied that streak if they had won last year.

UCLA started the season ranked no. 14 and climbed the polls after victories over Stanford and BYU.  A loss to Utah dropped the team out of the polls, and though the Bruins almost rejoined the polls after a win against Cal, their loss to Washington State the following week kept them from re-entering the polls.

USC started the season at the top of all the polls.  They dropped to no. 2 after LSU gave a more impressive performance in their win that week than USC did in its win against Washington.  A loss to Stanford dropped the Trojans in the polls.  The lowest the Trojans have been in the polls is 13 and they have been steadily rising after wins against Oregon State and Cal.

The USC-UCLA game is more than just a football game.  There are other competitions, prizes, and traditions involved.

This game is one of the four sports worth 10 points in the Lexus Gauntlet.  The Lexus Gauntlet is a competition between USC and UCLA in which the winner of certain games gets a set amount of points.  The school with the most points at the end of the year is awarded the Gauntlet.  The two teams are currently tied.

They will also be playing for the Victory Bell.  The Victory Bell was originally a gift to UCLA from the UCLA Alumni Association in 1939.  In 1941 it was stolen by several USC students and was hidden in various places, including, according to legend, under a haystack.  The location of the Victory Bell was a mystery for UCLA students until a picture of the Victory Bell was published in a USC student publication.  Eventually an agreement was reached between the two schools, and half the cost of the bell was paid to the UCLA Alumni Association by the USC Alumni Association.  Now, the winner of the USC-UCLA game has the bell for the year.

The game on Saturday will be the end of what is called Troy Week by the Trojans and Blue and Gold Week (also known as Beat ‘SC Week) by the Bruins. 

Blue and Gold Week/Beat ‘SC Week, is made up of different activities that will occur throughout the week.  One of these is the Bruin Spirit Outburts/8 Clap Rally Monday through Friday, starting at 6am and continuing throughout the day at 3 hour intervals at the Wooden Center.  There will also be the annual Bruin Night Out on Wednesday, on which UCLA students will receive discounts at various establishments in Westwood.  The Beat ‘SC Parade will be on Thursday.  The parade will start from the Hill and will end at Wilson Plaza with a bonfire and rally.

Troy Week ends with Save Tommy Night on Friday, which will consist of a fair and other activities in Hahn Plaza next to Tommy Trojan. The night before will also be filled with festivity with Conquest in McCarthy Quad.  Conquest, a fairly new annual activity of Troy Week, will be filled with music, vendors, food and appearances by members of the football team, the USC Song Girls, The Spirit of Troy, and a special appearance by the men’s basketball team, among others.  The Bravery is scheduled to perform as is Judson Laipply, who gained fame through Youtube with “the Evolution of Dance”.