Bye-Bye UCLA And USC

One of the best, most sacred aspects of college football is it’s traditions. It’s history. The pageantry, the bands, the fight songs, the rivalries. Last week, UCLA and UCLA bolted all of that for money. The two Los Angeles schools are leaving the Pac-12 for the Big 10 in 2024. I listened to UCLA Athletic Director Martin Jarmond explain the move as a way boost to national exposure. They’ll be in a conference that stretches from coast to coast. They’ll play games in three time zones. With weekly wall-to-wall games from Thursday to Saturday night, they were doing that already. All games are available to the world no matter the time zone. For some reason, Jarmond even mentioned that UCLA would be joining likeminded institutions in regards to mental health. What does that even mean? At least be honest, Mr. AD. In his minute of reasons for the defection, he never mentioned the real reason for the move. Money. Money, money, money. That’s why UCLA and USC will be playing in the BIG 10 in a couple years. Kick history and tradition aside. As a fan and alum of Cal, I say screw ‘em. The conference started without the two LA schools. The conference will survive without them.

UCLA can’t even come up with their own fight song. They had to pilfer Cal’s. Speaking of bands. USC’s is trash. They’ve been riding their association with Fleetwood Mac for decades. They know one song and play it without end. Over and over and over again. It’s the only song they know and they play it really slow. 

Anyway, here’s a little Pacific-12/Pac-10/Pac-8/AAWU/PCC history.

It all started on December 2, 1915. The Pacific Coast Conference was founded with California (Go Bears!), Oregon, Oregon Agricultural College (Oregon State), and Washington. 

Conference play began in 1916. 

Washington State joined in 1917. 

Stanford joined in 1918. 

Through formation and two additions, no UCLA or USC.

USC finally joined in 1922. So did Idaho.

Montana joined in 1924.

More than ten years in and the Pacific Coast Conference includes Idaho and Montana and doesn’t include UCLA. Imagine that. 

UCLA finally joined in 1928. 

The PCC competed as a 10-team conference until 1950. 

Montana bolted in 1950. 

The PCC competed as a 9-team conference until 1958.

After a run of scandals, the PCC was dissolved and the Athletic Association of Western Universities was formed. The original AAWU membership included California, Stanford, USC, UCLA, and Washington. Washington State joined in 1962. Oregon and Oregon State joined in 1964. 

In 1968, the AAWU became the Pac-8.

In 1978, the Pac-8 became the Pac-10 when Arizona and Arizona State joined. 

In 2010, the Pac-10 became the Pac-12 when Colorado and Utah joined. 

It’s been a fun conference with terrific traditions, history, and rivalries. For the 54 years that it’s been the Pac-8/10/12, it’s also been geographically perfect. Each school is paired with a regional rival. Cal-Stanford. Oregon-Oregon St. Washington-Washington St. Arizona-Arizona St. Colorado-Utah. The mountain rivalry between Colorado and Utah might be a little forced but the other five regional rivalries have been fantastic. The saddest aspect of the USC/UCLA departure is the end of the terrific Northern California-Southern California rivalries. Cal vs USC/UCLA. Stanford vs USC/UCLA. Cal’s “Joe Roth Game” has always been against whichever LA school comes to Berkeley. Even years, it’s UCLA. Odd years, it’s USC. That game is traditionally second to the Big Game with Stanford in annual importance. No more. Or, no more come 2024. 

Despite the Pac-12’s giant loss of college football history and tradition, I still say “screw ‘em.” Every school in the conference hated USC. Entitled rich boys, annoying band, stupid fight song, Tommy-frickin-Trojan perched atop a prancing pony. The Big 10 schools are going to hate USC as well. If they don’t already. The football team hasn’t even been competitive since Pete Carroll’s well-paid boys. Cal has taken two of the last three games against the mighty Trojans. Again, UCLA can’t even come up with their own damn fight song. Pathetic. 

The very best of college football is the traditional rivalries, the regional rivalries. Money can’t buy that sort of college football fun. USC-Ohio State might be a passing spectacle. It’ll never feel like a conference game. It’ll never feel like a rivalry game. Unless USC improves a great deal over the next two years, it won’t even be a competitive game. The Big 10 will be a conference stretched from sea to sea. Many of the teams will have little to no shared history, little to no regional connection. That’s not the college football that I know. That’s not the college football that I love. All for money. USC will have only one real rival in their new conference. UCLA. I hope they have fun playing with each other. 

Maybe I’m out of my depths. Maybe I’m from and for a different time. I’d rather be part of something fun. I’d rather be part of a conference created through 100 years of great teams, great games, great rivalries. Isn’t that college football? I’d rather part of that than something slammed together over a board room table. All for a few dollars more than they had before. 

The conference started without USC and UCLA. The conference will be fine without USC and UCLA.