This Saturday, the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins will renew their classic rivalry for the 91st time. A big change looms over this battle for the Victory Bell, however, as this will be the final time the historic programs clash as members of the Pac-12 conference, like they have each year since 1959. 

As astoundingly announced last summer, these two original Pac-12 members will be moving to the Big Ten conference in 2024. The switch will bring many changes to the programs in terms of scheduling, travel, recruiting and more. Let’s take a look at where USC and UCLA’s programs stand ahead of the impending change. 

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USC 

The Trojans are set to enter the Big Ten conference on uneven ground. Head Coach Lincoln Riley’s group has heavily disappointed in 2023, having entered it with national championship aspirations. USC (7-4, 5-3 Pac-12) is 0-4 in games against ranked opponents and has given up 381 points, the most in the Pac-12. The team’s defensive struggles have been widely documented, with Defensive Coordinator Alex Grinch getting fired last week. 

The main source of optimism for this season stemmed from the presence of junior quarterback Caleb Williams, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. The star QB is NFL Draft eligible after this season and regarded as a near-lock for the first overall pick in the draft. Williams has yet to announce a decision on his remaining college eligibility but is widely expected to forgo it following this season. 

Where does that leave the Trojans offense? Top 2023 recruit Malachi Nelson seems like the incumbent choice for the next quarterback of the team. True sophomores don’t always fare well, however, and Nelson was not even listed as the backup quarterback this season, a distinction that belonged to redshirt sophomore Miller Moss. This uncertainty leaves USC’s offense littered with question marks, as star senior wide receivers Tahj Washington and Brenden Rice are also wrapping up their USC careers. 

The Big Ten has more staunch competition than the Pac-12 and with that comes elite recruits. USC must stay focused on recruiting, and there are concerns there as well. The Trojans’ current freshman class reigned in the No. 8 overall recruiting class in the country last year, according to 247Sports. However, their 2024 group is waning at 18th as of now, fifth among teams in the loaded Big Ten. Riley must continue to attack the transfer portal to help rebuild his roster for next season. USC hauled in the fourth-best transfer class in all the nation last season but must pursue heavily again, especially on the defensive side of the ball where young players struggled up and down the unit throughout this season. 

Despite the cracks, the state of the Trojans’ program remains strong as Riley enters his third year with the team. They must find a great defensive coordinator this offseason, as the Big Ten awaits, licking their chops at USC in a conference that prides itself on elite defense, running games and cold-weather environments. 

UCLA 

The Bruins’ program generally always has lower expectations than USC, which is the case right now as well. Head Coach Chip Kelly is in his sixth season with the school and still has yet to win a bowl game. Kelly is squarely on the hot seat and might be fired if UCLA loses the Victory Bell game this weekend. 

Kelly’s UCLA squad relied on freshman quarterback Dante Moore to start for them this season. Moore, the highly touted recruit, showed flashes but struggled for the majority of the season. UCLA (6-4, 3-4) has reasons to be optimistic about its future with Moore, but there are deep concerns below the surface for the program. 

The Bruins’ 2023 recruiting class failed to crack the top 30 nationally. For next year, it does not sit in the top 50, and in a display of the hyper-competitive, new-look Big Ten, UCLA has the 16th-ranked recruiting class out of the 18 impending teams in the conference. Road dates with LSU, Penn State and Washington await the Bruins next season in what is a brutal slate for the team, both in and out of conference. 

UCLA is still a storied program that gets to call the Rose Bowl home, but changes are likely coming for the program. They are in need of a new head coach who can resurrect their recruiting hopes as they join USC in heading to the Big Ten, where the competition and cross-country travel certainly won’t make for an easy adjustment. 

As these two Los Angeles powerhouses make the seismic shift to the Big Ten next season, it might not be all smooth-sailing. These programs made their decision for the profile and TV dollars and are aware of what lies ahead. Joining them are Oregon and Washington, the two best teams in the Pac-12 from this season. 

In addition to those two leaders of today’s Pac-12, the Big Ten is loaded with talent. They have five of the current top 12 teams in the nation, with Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State joining the aforementioned two. The conference that is primarily congregated in the Midwest plays hard-nosed football with running oriented offenses and extremely tough defenses. The new conference will have a host of talented teams from coast to coast moving forward. 

It was a historic ride in the Pac-12 for USC and UCLA, and they will meet again next as Big Ten conference rivals — as odd as that sounds. The opportunities are endless in the new conference and, at the very least, it will be a fascinating transition for the two bitter crosstown rivals.