USC and UCLA delivered a haymaker to the Pac-12 Conference and the NCAA last week, when they announced their decision to join the Big Ten in 2024.
The Trojans and Bruins are two of the most venerated brands on the West Coast, with USC laying claim to 11 national titles, while UCLA has notched more than 600 wins and 17 Pac-12 championships on the gridiron.
Now, both will venture into uncharted terrain 24 months from now, when they’ll swap the likes of Arizona and Oregon for Michigan and Ohio State.
There is no legal California sports betting.
But two initiatives are on the ballot for November. One, backed by national online sports betting brands, officially qualified for the ballot in late June.
And if either of the two pass, USC and UCLA fans could be placing bets on their teams by the time they play their first Big Ten game in 2024.
Here’s a look at how the Trojans and Bruins have faired against their soon-to-be new rivals.
USC vs. the Big Ten
Trojans Enter Big Ten Era Against Familiar Foes
The Trojans have far more experience against their new conference foes than their crosstown rivals in Westwood.
USC has played the 14 members of the Big Ten a combined 108 times (vs. 95 for the Bruins), with a 75-30-3 record against those schools.
USC’s most recent showdown against a Big Ten team was in 2019, when they were shellacked by Iowa, 49-24, in the Holiday Bowl.
The Trojans have played Ohio State the most of any Big Ten team, competing in 24 contests against their rivals from Columbus.
The only current Big Ten members the Trojans have never faced in 101 seasons of football are Maryland and Rutgers.
The Trojans have their most wins (13) and losses (10) against the Buckeyes, who they’ve gone 13-10-1 against, dating back to 1937.
Other Big Ten members that USC has its share of history against include Illinois (13 games/11-2 record), Iowa, Penn State, and Michigan (10 games apiece, 19-9 record combined).
The Trojans have played the most games in their history against Cal, going 70-27-4 in 101 meetings.
UCLA vs. the Big Ten
Bruins Face the Unknown in Big Ten Football
The Bruins have a combined record of 48-42-5 against Big Ten foes, dating back to 1931.
UCLA’s most common foe in the new Big Ten is Nebraska, who the Bruins have faced off against 13 times.
The Bruins’ results in those games are a mixed bag, going 6-7 overall between 1946 and 2015, including a 37-29 loss in the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl in Santa Clara.
Chip Kelly’s squad has faced all but two of the current Big Ten teams, with Indiana and Rutgers being the outliers.
The Bruins’ have notched their most victories against Iowa and Wisconsin, with seven victories apiece.
On the other hand, UCLA has been foiled the most by Michigan, which has beaten the Bruins eight times between 1956 and 2000.
UCLA has played 92 games in its history against both Cal and Stanford.
Pac-12 Championship Odds
