<p>The UCLA-USC annual football game is in serious danger of no longer being a rivalry. For this rivalry, which is rich in history and tradition, to survive, UCLA is going to have to win a game from time to time. <br/>Not only has USC beaten UCLA seven times in a row, but only one game since 2001 has even been close. Even then, UCLA?s standards had fallen so low that the 29-24 loss was deemed a moral victory. <br/>The Trojans have been the far greater team over the span of the streak, winning a national championship along the way (not two, like they say they won) and compiling 61 wins in their last 67 games. <br/>UCLA has been mostly mediocre, with the exception of its 10-win season in 2005, which we now realize was an anomaly, fueled by a weak Pac-10 and good fortune. <br/>And it?s not like the rivalry was competitive before 1999 when the Trojans? current unbearable winning streak started. Before that, the Bruins had won eight in a row against USC from 1991 to 1998 and were the better program by a significant margin (though not as wide as the margin is now). The last time the winner was different for three straight years was 1985 to 1987. <br/>Rivalries are supposed to feature two strong, competitive teams where both teams win. That hasn?t been the case here for a very long time. <br/>This once great crosstown rivalry game used to be the biggest game of the year for both teams. Now, UCLA isn?t even among the biggest games USC will play this season. Just following college football from a national perspective, how many big games has USC played this year? Arkansas, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Cal were all bigger, more-hyped games for USC than this week is. <br/>UCLA has become just another game on the schedule, and the Bruins have become like every other team whose biggest game of the year is against USC. <br/>To a certain extent, it is understandable that the nonconference games are so big because of the different regions of the country involved. But for non-UCLA fans, USC-Cal was a much more anticipated game than UCLA-USC and has been for the last few years. <br/>The UCLA-USC game has just been an afterthought recently. <br/>For weeks, sports-media figures and football analysts have been saying that if USC got past Cal and Notre Dame, the Trojans would be heading to the national championship game, not even including UCLA as a realistic threat. <br/>During Saturday?s broadcast of the USC-Notre Dame game, analysts discussed a possible USC-Ohio State matchup for the title, not even considering UCLA could throw a wrench into the equation and beat the Trojans. <br/>UCLA has become irrelevant. The crosstown rivalry has become irrelevant. <br/>That is just another reason why the Bruins need to win on Saturday. <br/>To save the rivalry. <br/>To make a statement that the UCLA program is still important. <br/>To make this rivalry important again, just like it was when we were children. Back when both teams regularly entered the rivalry game with a chance to play in the Rose Bowl. Back when both teams actually won the rivalry game. Back when UCLA mattered on the national scene. <br/>Those were the days. And those days could happen again. Upsets happen in college football. <br/>Back in 1999, then-USC receiver Chad Morton summed up the emotions of ending their rivals? eight-year winning streak: ?After the game, being lifted up by the fans, that was probably the best feeling in the whole world. There?s nothing sweeter than beating UCLA and ending the streak.? <br/>With some luck and a well-played game, a UCLA player could say that about beating USC on Saturday. Because there could be no sweeter feeling than that. <br/><hr><i>E-mail Quionez at .</i></p><br><br><a href='; target='_blank'>;