Riley's Reckoning: First Big Ten Era 'Battle of LA'

Nov 20, 20242 min read

Lincoln Riley | USC Trojans | Battle of LA — © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

In a rivalry series that dates back to 1929, the two most prominent universities in the Los Angeles area will meet for the first time as members of the Big Ten Conference. The USC Trojans (5-5, 3-5) make the short trip from downtown Los Angeles to Pasadena, Calif. to take on the UCLA Bruins (4-6, 3-5) in the "Battle of LA" at 10:30 p.m. EST on Nov. 23 at the historic Rose Bowl.

Although the Bruins prevailed in the last matchup between the teams, the Trojans hold the all-time series lead with a 50-34-7 record.

USC is favored by 4.5 points as the Trojans seek to reclaim the victory bell.

The Stakes

After losing their head coach and many key players from last year's team, not much was expected of the Bruins this year. By contrast, the Trojans entered the season with high expectations, loaded with talent at all skill positions, but have underperformed after a promising season-opening victory over the LSU Tigers (6-4, 3-3 Southeastern Conference).

USC's remaining two regular season games are against its two greatest rivals—the Bruins and the No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-1). Winning those two games could salvage the Trojans' otherwise disappointing inaugural B1G campaign, and might be necessary to preserve Lincoln Riley's job as USC's coach. As reported by Sports Illustrated and other media outlets, Riley is on the hot seat.

Bowl eligibility is also at stake in this iteration of the USC-UCLA crosstown rivalry. The Trojans need one more win to qualify for a bowl game, and the Bruins need to win both this game and their season finalé against Fresno State (5-5, 3-3 Mountain West Conference) to become bowl-eligible.

Key Players in the 'Battle of LA'

Redshirt junior linebacker Carson Schwesinger has put together a phenomenal year for UCLA. He is tied for third in the nation in tackles with 109 and was named one of 15 semifinalists for the Butkus Award. He also has 7.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. Last year, Schwesinger played for D'Anton Lynn, who became USC's defensive coordinator this year.

In quarterback Jayden Maiava's debut start last week against the Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-5, 2-5 Big Ten), he threw for 259 yards and 3 touchdowns, completing 25 of 35 passes.

A pivotal matchup in this contest will be the Bruins' defense spearheaded by Schwesinger versus Maiava and his weapons on the Trojans' offense.