It's that time of the year again, folks! It's the rivalry that dwarfs all So Cal sports rivalries! It makes the Dodgers-Angels rivalry look like a tee-ball game, it makes the Galaxy-Chivas rivalry look like soccer mom fodder, it makes the Kings-Ducks rivalry look like slushy Zamboni scrapings. It even makes the Lakers-Clippers riv...okay there really is no basketball rivalry in Southern California, but still, when it comes to intercollegiate sports rivalries in the same metropolitan area, This Is It. No other city in the USA, or even the world, can lay claim to a rivalry such as this.This is, as you may or may not know, the weekend where the UCLA Bruins (6-5) face off against the USC Trojans (7-3; note: the Militant lists the schools in alphabetical order, hence the reason why UCLA goes before USC). Unlike the past several years, where the Trojans passed this off as a practice round before their inevitable new year's Bowl game glory, three stinging losses knocked them down to Earth from the Top 3 in the BCS rankings down to #20. The Bruins, playing a better-than-expected season this year with a few key victories, hopes to take advantage of the Trojans' fall from grace and become the city rivalry victor for the first time since 2006. However, history smiles more favorably on the Cardinal and Gold as the Trojans have won 9 out of the past 10 matchups, and lead the all-time record with 43 wins, 28 losses and seven ties.
The schools have fought for not only bragging rights, but a Victory Bell and a corporately-sponsored Gauntlet.
But what about the fans? The diehard Angelenos representing their schools, their ties to the schools, or their bandwagon statuses? How do they settle the score?
The Militant offers the solution: The Inaugural MILITANT BOWL!
It's like this: from the moment this post is published to the moment of kickoff at Saturday's game, UCLA and USC fans can post their respective roots and cheers for their school below in the Comments section of this blog entry. Points will be awarded (and deducted) and the winner will be announced via This Here Blog as well as the Militant's Twitter account.
The Militant will temporarily change out of his camo fatigues and into black-and-white referee stripes! [WHISTLE] So here are the rules! Read carefully!
MILITANT BOWL - OFFICIAL RULES
1. Post a comment below in the Comments section of this blog entry, beginning with "GO UCLA!" or "GO USC!" and then explain, in your opinion, why [UCLA/USC] rules or sucks.
2. ONE entry per person! Subsequent entries by the same comment poster account will be disregarded.
3. You are, however, more than welcome to encourage other fans to post their own comments!
3. Each comment poster must have a screen/user name. Any comments posted by "anonymous" will BE DISQUALIFIED!
4. Comment must be a clear root or diss towards one of the teams. Ambiguous comments will also BE DISQUALIFIED! Also, wise-ass comments irrelevant to UCLA or USC will also BE DISQUALIFIED!
5. Each root for one school or diss against the other school will earn 1 point for the appropriate school.
6. Profanity will be permitted but let's keep this (relatively) civil and respectful! No _____-ist or _____-phobic comments please. Any comment of that nature will be penalized -1 point!
7. A root or diss comment of an extremely witty nature will earn 3 points!
8. In the event of a tie, The Militant Angeleno may or may not exercise his right to use his personal bias towards his unspecified alma mater and name it as the winner of the tiebreaker. So yes, the Militant will have to reveal his unspecified alma mater! LET'S TRY TO AVOID THIS FROM HAPPENING, FOLKS!
9. The comment period shall begin from the moment of this blog entry's posting and will close at the moment of kick-off at Saturday's game (around 7 p.m. this Saturday)!
10. THE WINNER OF "MILITANT BOWL I" WILL BE ANNOUNCED BY HALFTIME OF SATURDAY'S FOOTBALL GAME!
Are you excited? The Militant sure is, and not just because his Comments section will artificially inflate for the next day and a half. But as you may or may not know, the Militant is a proud alum of one of the schools, and the rivalry is one of the highlights of the Militant's year! So get out there and post your comments! MAY THE BEST SCHOOL WIN!
GO USC!
ReplyDeleteThe University of Southern California has the greatest marching band in the history of the universe.
Examples of why: only collegiate marching band with two platinum records, has traveled in whole or part to every away game since 1987 (a streak unrivaled by any other university), has played in a million movies, award shows (Radiohead at the Grammy's), tv shows (Jay Leno last night apparently), and has numerous awesome special guests for their halftime shows.
In contrast, the ucla band has...
...
...
sorry, still thinking.
...do they still have the juggler?
Okay, got it. The ucla marching band might still have a juggler.
Point: USC.
GO USC.
ReplyDeleteI vote for USC because I am a UCLA employee and the UC Regents have, to be frank; tossed their hard working and dedicated rank and file under the bus. I won't even comment on their tuition fee hikes. So in short, anything associated with UC is no friend of mine.
(I deleted the last post as I forgot the GO USC.)
go team that lives near me! destroy that team from nearby area! my team is the best team and always will be until I move!
ReplyDeleteI will always go for USC. My favorite 4th grade teacher was a Lady of Troy.. My parent are both Bruins...(I like to irritate both parents and go against them everytime) Hmmmm again USC baby
ReplyDeleteWhat is happening here! I'm beginning to feel like Marlon Brando being ambushed by his own people! (Oopps, perhaps that was Emiliano Zapata). What is going on here? We are the underdogs, the ones who triumph over adversity and impossible odds. UCLA is the evening star, the morning star, the tower of power that overcomes the odds when all seems lost. Whether we win or lose at football (thank God for basketball), UCLA will always be that beacon in the West, telling Chicanos, Mexicanos, natives, and immigrants: "we are the people's university, all is possible here, si se puede".
ReplyDeleteThis game is never about football, it's about the wonder of the improbable. As a Bruin, I have to believe that the impossible dream is always possible. UCLA can triumph over that institutional Goliath! Go Bruins!
GO UCLA!
ReplyDeleteUCLA has the prettier and safer campus! And smarter people.
Anonymous:
ReplyDelete[WHISTLE]
Sorry, read the rules, no "Anonymous" usernames accepted! The score remains 3-1 in favor of USC!
Your Militant Bowl Referee,
MA
GO USC!
ReplyDeleteWe have sent the most athletes to the olympics. 121 golds out of 257 medals received. if we were a country we would place 13th all time....ucla can't say the same.
We have a moonwalker, george lucas, and many inventors.
Every qualcomm based cellphone you...
Every time you use an atm...
Every time you watch a movie with THX...
A Trojan did that
We have City Attorney Trutanich to clean up Bruin Mayor Villaraigosa's mess.
and we didn't consider mr.just-graduated James Franco as a commencement speaker just for him to bail last minute-how embarassing
I like my small campus and the fact i can go to home game right across the street from the school...how's that bruin shuttle to the rose bowl
Trojan for life!
UCLA rules! We have bad ass (or... militant?) students who stand up to the UC Regents when they increased our fees for a so-called public education by 32%. We also rule because we invented the Internet, we're home to John Wooden and me.
ReplyDeleteGo Bruins!
GO UCLA!
ReplyDeleteHow are we even debating supporting a capitalist enterprise that breeds blonde, Lexus-driving robots.
That guy that cut you off yesterday? Yeah, he had an USC Alum sticker on his car.
That blabbling wanna-be cheerleader that just won't shut it on her cell phone? Yep, more USC.
I could go on for hours, but there is no contest. UCLA is the only choice in a MILITANT bowl.
GO UCLA!
ReplyDeleteUCLA has the hotter ladies.
plus Jackie Robinson went to UCLA so there is that as well!
Anonymous:
ReplyDelete[WHISTLE]
Sorry, read the rules, no "Anonymous" usernames accepted! The score remains 4-3 in favor of USC!
Your Militant Bowl Referee,
MA
GO BRUINS!
ReplyDelete5 years ago at the Rose Bowl a friend had human feces thrown on her by a U$C fan. The same day, a used condom dumped a beer on a child's head, warranting his arrest.
UCLA represents the spirit of the new--a young university, for the people, by the people, in the city of Los Angeles. No Bimmer necessary to apply, and no pretentious alums and faux alums.
GO USC!
ReplyDeleteMilitant, you know your history. USC was established in the 1880s by people who were influential in building Los Angeles and California. UCLA is just a Cal extension built out there in what was then the boonies.
And next year, USC will be the first of the two universities to get Metro Rail! I'm sure you're down with that!
FIGHT ON!
...and KICKOFF!
ReplyDeleteVOTING IS NOW CLOSED!
Haha I am happy!! My patents are upset!! Haha. Militant, will you marry me?
ReplyDelete