UCLA Tops USC For 2021-2022 Crosstown Cup, Secures Rivalry Bragging Rights

Over 100 years into the rivalry between the Bruins and Trojans, the blue and gold came out on top in the latest holistic crosstown showdown.

UCLA defeated USC 100-90 in the 2021-2022 Crosstown Cup, an annual head-to-head, all-sports competition between the two Los Angeles schools. It was the Bruins' third win in the last five years and their fifth out of the last nine.

“Congratulations to our student-athletes for a successful season and for capturing the Crosstown Cup,” UCLA Athletic Director Martin Jarmond said in a statement. “This is one of the greatest rivalries in collegiate athletics, and it’s always nice to give Bruin Nation bragging rights for another year.”

The format is set up so a school earns 10 points for winning the season series against the other, and the schools each get five points for tying a season series. For sports without head-to-head competitions – such as cross country and golf – the team that finishes higher at the Pac-12 championships picks up the 10 points.

UCLA got 10 points in football, men's basketball, women's basketball, women's soccer, women's cross country, men's volleyball, men's golf and women's golf. USC, meanwhile, got 10 points out of their baseball, women's beach volleyball, men's tennis, men's track & field, women's track & field, women's swimming and women's rowing teams.

Earning full marks in football, men's basketball, women's basketball and women's soccer helped the Bruins take a major lead over the Trojans in the most popular sports on campus. USC doesn't have Division I softball, women's gymnastics or men's soccer, three sports UCLA could have further bolstered their lead with.

The victory on the gridiron came in blowout fashion, highlighted by quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson's six total touchdowns and hurdle over a Trojan defensive back into the end zone. The 62 points the Bruins scored were their most against the Trojans in the history of the rivalry.

UCLA men's basketball needed a late-season turnaround to get the leg up on USC after losing their first matchup of the year at the Galen Center. That result made coach Mick Cronin, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyger Campbell 0-5 in their careers against the Trojans, but they secured the home win in March and then repeated that success at the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas one week later.

UCLA women's basketball similarly beat USC at the Pac-12 tournament, but that was after sweeping them in the regular season with a blowout victory at home and another double-digit win on the road.

The Pac-12 title and UCLA women's soccer's undefeated regular season both came down to fending off USC, which the Bruins did by winning 3-1 at home in early November. The series loss and sweep in baseball, meanwhile, was unusual looking at recent years, considering UCLA entered the year 13-3 against USC dating back to 2013.

The full scoring breakdown is listed below, including results from every matchup between the Bruins and Trojans this academic year.

Football (UCLA 10 points)

Nov. 20 at USC – UCLA 62-33

Women’s Volleyball (UCLA 5 points, USC 5 points)

Sept. 22 at UCLA – UCLA 3-1
Nov. 26 at USC – USC 3-2

Women’s Soccer (UCLA 10 points)

Nov. 5 at UCLA – UCLA 3-1

Men’s Water Polo (UCLA 5 points, USC 5 points)

Nov. 6 at USC – USC 8-7
Nov. 20 at MPSF Championships – UCLA 6-5

Women’s Cross Country (UCLA 10 points)

Oct. 29 at Pac-12 Championships – UCLA 8th, USC 11th

Men’s Basketball (UCLA 10 points)

Feb. 12 at USC – USC 67-64
March 5 at UCLA – UCLA 75-68
March 11 at Pac-12 Championships -- UCLA 69-59

Women’s Basketball (UCLA 10 points)

Jan. 20 at UCLA – UCLA 66-43
Jan. 23 at USC – UCLA 68-58
March 2 at Pac-12 Championships – UCLA 73-60

Women’s Swimming (USC 10 points)

Feb. 11-12 at UCLA – USC 242-130

Women’s Rowing (USC 10 points)

March 13 at UCLA – USC 3.5-3

Baseball (USC 10 points)

March 11 at UCLA – USC 7-4
March 12 at UCLA – UCLA 11-2
March 13 at UCLA – USC 6-3

Men’s Volleyball (UCLA 10 points)

March 31 at USC – UCLA 3-0
April 2 at UCLA – UCLA 3-2

Men’s Track and Field (USC 10 points)

May 1 at USC – USC 86-76

Women’s Track and Field (USC 10 points)

May 1 at USC – USC 82-81

Men’s Golf (UCLA 10 points)

April 25-27 at Pac-12 Championships – UCLA 6th, USC 7th

Women’s Golf (UCLA 10 points)

April 18-20 at Pac-12 Championships – UCLA 4th, USC 5th tie

Men’s Tennis (USC 10 points)

March 1 at USC – USC 4-0
April 9 at UCLA – USC 4-2

Women’s Tennis (UCLA 5 points, USC 5 points)

Feb. 25 at UCLA – UCLA 4-1
April 15 at USC – USC 4-3

Women’s Water Polo (UCLA 5 points, USC 5 points)

Feb. 13 at Triton Invitational – UCLA 11-10
April 16 at USC – USC 9-7

Women’s Beach Volleyball (USC 10 points)

March 5 at UCLA – UCLA 3-2
April 16 at Center of Effort Challenge – USC 4-1
April 22 at USC – USC 3-2
April 28 at Pac-12 Championships – USC 3-1
April 29 at Pac-12 Championships – USC 3-0
May 7 at NCAA Championships – USC 3-0

Final Score: UCLA 100, USC 90

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