Will USC-UCLA showdown be a close contest in 2026?

The UCLA Bruins brought in Bob Chesney to elevate the football program to a point where the team is competing at the highest level. A great way to move towards that is to become the best team in the city that you’re in. UCLA football certainly hasn’t been better than USC since the turn of the century, and it’s been even worse for the Bruins since the turn of the century. USC will be good again this year but Lincoln Riley has been even better off of the field, landing several top-of-the-line recruiting classes. So when might Chesney and the Bruins be able to compete consistently against USC? Maybe pretty soon. Trojans Wire writer Matt Zemek voiced his belief that things can change quickly in the world of college football. “When UCLA kicked USC up and down the field in 2023, we all saw why that happened. D'Anton Lynn's UCLA defense swarmed USC's tissue-soft offensive line and blew up the Trojans' backfield again and again. UCLA was the far more physical team that day. The Bruins were physical with USC last season and were therefore able to push the Trojans even though they had far less talent,” Zemek said. “UCLA under Bob Chesney should be able to play with the physicality needed to beat USC. Given that Chesney has recruited well and shows promise as someone who can develop his players, that's all UCLA really needs to match and then exceed USC. It all goes back to Chesney being half as good for UCLA as Curt Cignetti has been for Indiana. If Chesney is even remotely close to the Cignetti standard, UCLA will run LA barring a Lincoln Riley renaissance in which his offenses start putting up 55 points a game the way he did at Oklahoma.” Cignetti may be the best coach in the sport but Chesney even earning comparisons to the reigning national champion head coach is a good sign in Westwood. This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Will USC-UCLA showdown be a close contest in 2026?