One last pit stop remains in UCLA’s 2025 season — a local trip to the LA Memorial Coliseum to face long-time rival and No. 17-ranked USC Trojans.
The Bruins’ season has been one to store in the back of the memory shelf and forget. A 3-8 record is one of their worst performances since the 2018 season (five losing seasons in that span). Meanwhile, their cross-city nemesis is riding a four-season winning streak and is 8-3 heading into the finale.
UCLA Bruins vs USC Trojans: 2025 College Football Preview
There is no love lost between the two storied programs, and the events leading up to Saturday’s matchup will showcase just that.
Tensions rise, anticipation builds and tempers flare during rivalry week, but it brings out a competitive edge that is only displayed in such an environment. Regardless of the path they’ve faced to reach this point in the season, nothing matters more to both sides than bringing home the Victory Bell and painting it their respective school color.
“As a kid, I always watched the UCLA-USC game,” UCLA interim head coach Tim Skipper said. “It always mattered … We watched a video as a team just to go over the history of it. I wanted to make sure everyone knew how significant this game is … It’s awesome to finally be a part of this.”
Matchup History
There’s only one other school UCLA has faced more in its history than USC, and after Saturday, that margin will no longer exist. With 94 all-time meetings between the Bruins and Trojans, it’s turned into one of the most iconic rivalry games ever.
It’s been a Red and Gold-filled book as UCLA trails 34-53-7 in the series. Riding a 3-7 record over the last 10 matchups and just seven wins over two and a half decades, the Bruins have been carved as the inferior of the two.
The matchup last year at the Rose Bowl hosted a Trojans’ fourth-quarter comeback win, breaking the hearts of the Bruin Faithful. However, the last two contests at the Coliseum have favored the Blue and Gold, with a combined score of 100-53.
Saturday’s primetime slot opened with UCLA as +20.5-point underdogs.
Keys to the Game
Noteworthy Bruins
It’s Week 14, and no team is 100-percent healthy, but the Bruins are banged up at some key positions heading into the Coliseum. For starters, quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who left last week’s game in the third quarter, is dealing with neck spasms and is considered day-to-day. His receiver, Rico Flores Jr., is also day-to-day with a calf injury. Defensively, UCLA will be without one of its best defensive backs, Rodrick Pleasant, who is undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.
It leaves a lot of potential for others to step up, and one who has is linebacker JonJon Vaughns. The senior has been a lifelong Bruin and has witnessed this rivalry for five years. He’s been the backbone of the defense, and his team-leading 102 total tackles (second in Big Ten) is a career high. He consistently finds himself around the ball and has been one of the few bright spots on a struggling defensive unit.
Backup quarterback Luke Duncan has been impressive in his small sample size. Usually, backups tend to struggle due to the lack of live reps. However, Duncan stepping in for Iamaleava on two occasions and exiting error-free is encouraging. He led the Blue and Gold to their first touchdown drive last game when he abruptly took over.
Noteworthy Trojans
Former UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava is one of the best, if not the best, quarterbacks in the Big Ten. The junior is the top passer in the conference with 3,174 yards, and his 21 touchdowns is ranked fourth.
It takes two to tango, and Maiava’s top weapon, Makai Lemon, is leading in his own right. He’s statistically the conference’s best receiver with 78 receptions, 1,124 yards and 10 touchdowns.
It doesn’t take much to put this Trojan team into words, and Skipper kept it concise: “[USC] is an explosive offense [with] big-time players.”
This is a team that has failed to score under 20 points, posting 73, 59, 45 and four 30-point outings. Nationally, USC is sixth in passing yards per game (301), eighth in yards per game (479.2) and 13th in points per game (37.2). The high-octane offense faces the country’s 124th scoring defense, which is allowing 33.8 points and 386.9 yards per contest.
It’s a matchup nightmare for UCLA, and dealing with the NFL-caliber playmaking of Maiava and Lemon will take a season-best effort.
Tim Skipper’s (Potential) Final Game for UCLA
For Skipper to pull out a win against SC, in what could very well be his last game with the Bruins, would leave a positive impact on his partial legacy as interim head coach. He was handed the keys to salvage a 0-4 season and brought home three straight wins, most notably against then-No. 7 Penn State.
“I love the team, we’ve been through a lot,” Skipper shared. “[This season] has been a little unique with all the changes. It’s gone very fast. It’s crazy that we’re in the last week. It seems like yesterday we were playing the first game when I took over. Going to definitely take it all in.”
Bruins’ Path to Reclaiming Victory Bell
To have one more shot at a win on Saturday, it’s going to take a collective push.
“We’re going to have our hands full,” Skipper emphasized. “We’re going to need all hands on deck, throw different things at them and try to confuse them a little bit … We have to play some really good ball and not just give away what we’re doing. It’s going to be a full week of trying to get the game plan down and execute.”
For as emotion-filled as this game will be, UCLA can’t let it cost them any unnecessary penalties. Staying ahead of the sticks, especially for a team that struggles on third downs, will be outcome-deciding. Additionally, limiting USC’s big plays and getting guys to and around Maiava will eliminate the back-breakers.
Most importantly, get in a flow state early. The more the Bruins can execute plays and find their rhythm in the run game, it will open up the playbook even more. Expect more trickery out of Skipper as well. Just because the fake field goal last week was a disaster doesn’t mean he won’t have other plays dialed up.
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Eric Hayrapetian
Eric is a lifelong Angeleno and a sports journalist who graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. He joined The League Winners in January of 2025, and is the lead beat writer for the UCLA Bruins. Follow Eric on X (formerly known as Twitter) @EricHayrapetian.