Of course, we can’t ignore the UCLA Bruins and the USC Trojans. These two have been duking it out since the 1920s, and the crosstown rivalry is pure gasoline. For decades, this was the most important game in town—even more than any pro team. The Rose Bowl, the blue-and-gold vs. the cardinal-and-gold, the fans who tailgate like their lives depend on it.
When the NFL vanished between 1995 and 2016, USC and UCLA kept the faith. They were the reason Angelenos didn’t completely forget what a spiral looked like. And now, with both teams joining the Big Ten Conference, they’re about to take that LA chaos on a national tour. So grab your popcorn.
