UCLA Football: The Ten Greatest Wins Over Rival USC

Despite the long, woeful season that the UCLA Bruins have had in football this year, this is still a big week for myself and all the other members of Bruin Nation.

This Saturday at the Rose Bowl, our Bruins will play the No. 5 ranked, crosstown rival USC Trojans, with their No. 1-rated defense and their litany of All-Americans.

This week Los Angeles will turn into a sea of Blue and Gold/Cardinal and Gold Verona, with Bruin and Trojan students, fans, and alumni enacting on a hatred level comparable to the Montagues and Capulets.

I'm not stupid or naive, and I don't live in Never Never Land—I know full well that the Bruins' chances of beating USC are slim to none—I know that UCLA is a 30-point underdog to those men of Troy.

But, I thought that I'd spread a little cheer among UCLA fans by unveiling my list of the Bruins' 10 greatest victories over the Cardinal and Gold. Believe it or not, UCLA does have some.

Here we go, in descending order:

10.  1950, 39-0: The Bruins' largest margin of victory over USC.

9.    1980, 20-17: This was called the Probation Bowl, due to the fact that both teams were barred from bowl games for recruiting violations. UCLA won in the last minute on a tipped pass from Jay Schroeder to Freeman McNeil.

The Trojan defender who tipped the pass? None other than the current Tennessee Titans' coach, Jeff Fisher. 

8.   1954, 34-0: The year UCLA arrived at the Promised Land and won their lone National Championship. 

7.   1942, 14-7: The Bruins' first ever victory over USC!!

Incidentally, this was just after the two student body presidents signed a pact making the Victory Bell, which was the source of an all-out prank war between the two schools, the trophy of the game, a status it retains to this day. It is painted red when USC wins, and blue following a UCLA triumph.

Personally, I think UCLA caved. The Trojan fraternity boys who stole that bell, which was originally UCLA's, should have been arrested.

6.   1965, 20-16:  Gary Beban, UCLA's lone Heisman Trophy winner, threw a last-minute touchdown pass to beat the Trojans and send the Bruins to the Rose Bowl.

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