The most storied rivalry in all of college football, USC vs. UCLA, is not even worthy of a prime time spot. The match-up features the battle to be bowl-less, with a 7-5 Trojans team on probation and a 4-7 Bruins team that is no longer bowl eligible.
A legacy has been left behind, and the city of Los Angeles is still holding out for a hero. The Pete Carroll Era replaced with a sketchy but confident Lane Kiffin, and another coach whose job is in jeopardy with Rick Neuheisel.
USC has dominated the rivalry over recent years, but the rivalry is more outdated than a VCR. Auburn-Alabama, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, among others, are the DVR and the blue-ray of rivalries in this video analogy.
The Bruins were given the perfect opportunity to shine with a guaranteed absence of the Trojans football program, but did not prevail, while Neuheisel desperately searches for answers in his third year, and quite possibly his last.
Whether its from probation or a stagnant football program searching for an identity, the rivalry has become so absolete, much more meaningless, and better yet, not airing on a major network. The game airs at 10:30 p.m. eastern standard time, so you can count east coast viewers out.
What was once prime time is now dead into night time.
Not even the biggest iron supplement could cure an anemic Bruins offense, and the Trojans have about as much of a chance to make it to a bowl game as the 1-11 San Jose State Spartans.
Like print journalism, the battle for the gauntlet has become a dying breed, so do not be surprised to see only the most faithful Bruin/Trojan fans pack their way into the Rose Bowl, or sit at home watching it live on Fox Sports Net Prime Ticket.
The irony of it all is that its airing on “prime ticket.” The rivalry is definitely far from its prime, yet not even in the twilight.
Instead, the UCLA-USC rivalry is into the dead of night.
Let the battle for nothing begin. A battle for none of the marbles.