USC, UCLA: Best Atmosphere in L.A. Sports
The buzz around this game is bigger than anything else in the market, year after year.
I could hear the roar of the crowd from far outside the stadium, walking in just now.
People get that agitated.
Both teams have lots on the line, of course. USC wins, it's in the Rose Bowl. And keeps alive its faint very faint dreams of a share of the national title. UCLA wins, it has a shot at the Rose Bowl, and maybe coach karl Dorrell keeps his job.
And then there is the whole bragginng rights thing ... which UCLA really took advantage of the past year, after its 13-9 victory last year.
Anyway, people are fired up about this. It's big. It's a great pageant and game and rivalry.
Oh, and the concept of this being USC's last game at the Coliseum. Possibly. Well, in theory. That's out there, too.
Makes you think about the yard a bit more. And how yeah, it's decrepit ... but it's also very alive when these two teams are playing each other. A throbbing mass of cardinal and gold and blue and gold humanity.