The 1960s and 1970s were very good to USC in its rivalry with UCLA, but these two decades also gave us some of the most important moments in the history of this series.
The 1967 USC-UCLA game — even if you’re a Bruin fan — is undeniably the most important game in the history of this series. That’s just a historical fact.
The two teams were in the top four of the national rankings, battling for a spot in the Rose Bowl and a shot at the national championship. Indiana was the Big Ten champion and Rose Bowl representative in the 1967 season, so the USC-UCLA winner was going to be a strong favorite in Pasadena.
O.J. Simpson’s iconic cutback run, a 64-yard change-of-direction masterpiece, helped USC to a 21-20 win in the series’ most significant game. USC went on to beat Indiana in the Rose Bowl and claim a national title.
Here are more USC-UCLA memories from the 1960s and 1970s: