College Football: 25 most underappreciated team rivalries of all time

12. UCLA Bruins vs. USC Trojans

Battling for the Victory Bell annually, the UCLA Bruins and the USC Trojans don’t have to go far to find one of their most hated rivals. The two teams are separated by a mere 12 miles in the City of Los Angeles. Their geographical nearness naturally breeds a great deal of animosity between the teams and fan bases alike.

With their first meeting back in 1929, the rivalry between UCLA and USC has only grown over time. At this point, both student bodies have coalitions that protect their respective school statues because opposing fans have painted over them so many times.

Throw in the various groups from each school that compete annually in heated flag football games before the actual college football matchup, and it’s apparent how much disdain these two schools harbor for one another.

The rivalry reached its peak from 1965 to 1978 when a berth in the Rose Bowl was on the line in 11 of the meeting between the Bruins and the Trojans. And yes, USC holds a 47-32-7 record over UCLA in the history of the rivalry, with two wins in 2004 and 2005 vacated due to NCAA infractions. However, it has often been tightly contested and all bets are off when they meet up in a Pac-12 showdown near the end of the regular season.

This matchup comes in at the middle of this list, though, due to the glory years for both teams that haven’t been seen in the past few years. There is a reason to believe, however, that both Los Angeles teams can get things back on track and, hopefully, renew a great rivalry that will always hold a special place in the hearts of fans.