FanHouse Usc Ucla

Yesterday, FanHouse pointed out how Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa could forge a coalition to keep the USC Trojans in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum by bringing together his two votes with the three members appointed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Based on comments from the Mayor's office, it looks like he is amenable to working with Villaraigsoa to terminate a USC move to the Rose Bowl. Sean Clegg, deputy mayor to Villaraigosa told the Los Angeles Times that the Mayor has contacted Schwarzenegger and discussed working together to forge a compromise with USC. Their five votes alone would be enough to seal a deal between the warring university and Coliseum Commission.

Meanwhile, USC students have started their own protests over the proposed move to the Rose Bowl. They promise not to use any concessions at the stadium when the Trojans host the UCLA Bruins on Saturday, a practice I thought had been in place since beer and wine sales were cut off at the Coliseum three seasons ago!

In one of the most strongly-worded statements on the future of the NFL in Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a UCLA alumnus, implored his colleagues on the Coliseum Commission to get over their false hopes to bring professional football to the stadium and ink a long-term deal with the University of Southern California.

"While I remain committed to bringing a professional team to Los Angeles, it is time to read the scoreboard: the Coliseum is no longer a viable option for the NFL.

"The Coliseum is and should remain the home of the USC Trojans. I am committed to seeking a long-term agreement with USC that protects the public interest, preserves jobs and benefits the entire community of South Los Angeles."

The Mayor's statements come one day after the December 6th agenda of the Rose Bowl Operating Committee revealed that the operators of the Pasadena Stadium were within days of finalizing a contract to host the home football games of the University of Southern California--moving the Trojans back to Pasadena after 82 years in the Coliseum.

While there will be plenty of conflict on the field of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum this Saturday, if the University of Southern California secures a two-year lease to play at the Rose Bowl stadium, it could lead to some real scheduling conflicts for the schools. Looking at the future schedules for USC and UCLA show three potential conflicts.

Luckily in 2008, the USC and UCLA schedules are somewhat compatible. Only one game falls on the same date for the two schools--on November 8, when USC hosts California and Oregon State visits the Bruins. The former game will likely be picked up by ABC, and the latter seems like a perfect fit for the Fox Sports' Pac Ten Game of the week--but even scheduling 3 hours between games, and assuming that UCLA will have its typical 30-40,000 fans showing up would not be enough time to accommodate the traffic in the Arroyo Seco.

The following year, the Trojans and Bruins would have scheduling conflicts on September 5th, with two competing stinkers against San Jose State and San Diego State and again on October 10th, when Arizona and Oregon visit the two schools, respectively. Perhaps we'll be seeing more Thursday Night Pac-Ten games from Pasadena to make room for these games?

Although the USC Trojans must beat the UCLA Bruins to qualify for the 2008 Rose Bowl Game, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that the Trojans may be going to the Rose Bowl even more in the near future.

Since talks between the NFL and Los Angeles fell through, the University of Southern California has been negotiating a 99-year master lease with the moribundly complex intergovernmental commission which oversees the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The University was ready to pony up $100 million of its own alumni's money to pay for improvements to the historical structure just off campus.

Ben Olson may well be starting at quarterback again for UCLA, but he won't be wearing Bruin Blue.

Last year during the lead up to the cross-town rivalry, USC Coach Pete Carroll said he'd propose to UCLA coach Karl Dorrell that the teams both wear home uniforms as they did until UCLA moved to the Rose Bowl in 1982, as seen in this 1969 throwback photo.

"A lot of our fans remember it's an old tradition that was special," Carroll told the Los Angeles Daily News.