After the crosstown rivals shared Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for decades, USC football has traveled to Pasadena 22 times to face UCLA at the iconic Rose Bowl, the Bruins’ home since 1982.

Though the Trojans hold the overall series lead during the Bruins’ Rose Bowl era, UCLA holds a narrow 11-10 edge at the Pasadena stadium, once USC’s vacated 2004 win is removed. And the tie may remain for a long time.

While the Rose Bowl Operating Company and the City of Pasadena have taken a legal stand against UCLA’s reportedly planned move to Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium for the 2026 season, last season’s 19-13 USC win to tie the series may be the teams’ last meeting at the Rose Bowl should the Bruins’ plan go through. Sources told 247 Sports that UCLA’s deal with SoFi was nearly finalized, according to a Nov. 9 article, though no formal announcement has been made.

If the Bruins kick off next season with a new home, their final home game of their Rose Bowl era, a crushing loss to Washington, took place Saturday. USC and UCLA will meet this upcoming Saturday at the Coliseum.

Beyond their rivalry with UCLA, the Trojans have a long history at the Rose Bowl, having played in 34 Rose Bowls — a bowl game named after the stadium — and having won the most of any program with 25. The game often had high stakes, as it was historically a matchup between top Big Ten and Pacific-12 teams, often with National Championship implications, before the College Football Playoff format was adopted in 2014.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant denied a temporary restraining order request filed by the Rose Bowl Operating Company and City of Pasadena to keep UCLA football games at the stadium Nov. 12. Chalfant found that the Rose Bowl would suffer no immediate harm since the Bruins’ next scheduled home game is in Fall 2026, which led to the denial; however, future court actions, including a UCLA fine for irreparable damages, are still on the table.

“We’re very confident in our facts of this case,” said Nima Mohebbi, an attorney representing the Rose Bowl Operating Company and the City of Pasadena, according to the Los Angeles Times. “We feel very, very good.”

UCLA’s current lease with the Rose Bowl lasts until the end of the 2044 season, so the Rose Bowl Operating Company and Pasadena said in the lawsuit that “no amount of money can remedy the irreparable harm that would result from dismantling the historic partnership in the middle of UCLA’s lease.” 

According to the lawsuit, Pasadena taxpayers invested more than $150 million to support the Bruins staying at the Rose Bowl long-term, while the university secretly planned to leave.

“At a time when the Pasadena community needs unity and partnership, UCLA’s decision to walk away undermines recovery and betrays the spirit of resilience that defines this community,” the lawsuit read.

Mary Osako, vice chancellor of strategic communications at UCLA, wrote in a statement to the L.A. Times that the court’s ruling “speaks for itself” and that the university will continue to evaluate its stay at the Rose Bowl. In a letter to Mohebbi obtained by the L.A. Times, UCLA attorney David Schrader wrote that the “preliminary discussions” to move did not breach the school’s contract with the Rose Bowl.

The Rose Bowl is about a 26-mile drive from UCLA’s main campus, while SoFi is closer at about 13 miles away. Rose Bowl attendance has been tracking at an all-time low pace, according to the L.A. Times, potentially due to the distance or the Bruins’ poor performances since moving to the Big Ten last season. 

The Times also found that UCLA’s attendance ranked 16th out of 18 teams in its new conference last season. When the Bruins played at SoFi in 2023, the game drew 32,780 fans, which is less than this season’s Rose Bowl average of 37,098. The Rose Bowl’s capacity is over 91,000.

A major benefit of the switch to SoFi would be the intake of suite revenue, which UCLA is not collecting at the Rose Bowl, but a massive fine from the courts may dissuade the school from making the deal. The decreased travel distance, as well as more modern facilities, scoreboards and seating, are other benefits, while the loss of tradition, specifically the iconic golf-course tailgating ritual, is a potential downside.

In an interview with the Daily Trojan, the Daily Bruin sports editor Connor Dullinger said that talk surrounding the Bruins’ season has been focused on off-the-field issues, from the Rose Bowl lawsuit to the firing of their former Head Coach DeShaun Foster during the season. He said multiple decisions made by the university as well as Athletic Director Martin Jarmond have been controversial and said both the program and Jarmond are in the “hot seat” heading into next season.

“UCLA football is losing its identity. It’s losing its brand,” Dullinger said. “It’s all because of how this program has been run.” 

In the weeks since news was released, fans, former players and current members of the program have expressed mixed opinions on the move. Multiple fans tailgating ahead of Saturday’s game told the L.A. Times that they were disappointed in UCLA’s potential move, while former players shared varying takes on the issue.

UCLA interim Head Coach Tim Skipper called the Rose Bowl a “big-time venue” and said he enjoys playing at the Rose Bowl, but didn’t give a strong opinion on the move. When asked about the Pasadena landmark after the game, Bruin redshirt sophomore defensive back Cole Martin had a more emotional response.

“Born and raised in Pasadena, California, the Rose Bowl means a lot to me,” Martin said. “It makes me emotional thinking about it. It’s everything to me for sure.”

USC will face off with UCLA at the Coliseum on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in what might be the rivals’ last meeting of the Rose Bowl era, though it won’t take place at the historic stadium.