After Final Loss of Season, to USC, What’s Next for UCLA Football?

The Coliseum crowd of 69,614 roared Saturday evening as No. 19 USC closed its home schedule with a decisive 29-10 victory over UCLA. For the Trojans, the win capped an undefeated home season at 7–0 at the Coliseum — the first time a Lincoln Riley–coached USC team went undefeated at home since his debut season. For the Bruins, it marked the end of a turbulent 2025 season that leaves more questions about the program than answers — on the field and in the courtroom.

A Season of Struggles

The Bruins finish 2025 with a 3–9 record (3–6 Big Ten), falling short of bowl eligibility. Their season was defined by instability: a coaching change after just three games, with interim coach Tim Skipper guiding the team through the remainder of the schedule. The rivalry loss to USC was not just another defeat; it was the official close to a program that never found its footing.

Attendance reflected the malaise. UCLA averaged just 37,282 fans per game at the Rose Bowl, or 41.6 percent of the stadium’s 89,702 capacity. That figure was on pace to set the record for the lowest season attendance since the program moved to Pasadena in 1982.

The contrast was stark. Saturday’s crowd at the Coliseum was more than double the turnout for UCLA’s September 12 game against New Mexico, which drew only 31,163 after a blowout loss to Utah in the home opener.

The Rose Bowl Dispute

The home game attendance crisis spurred UCLA to hatch a scheme to claw back fans.

On October 29, the City of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Operating Company filed suit against UCLA, alleging the university has secretly negotiated with SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and intends to breach its lease agreement with Rose Bowl. That contract requires the Bruins to play home games at the Rose Bowl through 2044. Pasadena claims the city’s  potential damages could exceed $1 billion, citing more than $150 million in renovations already invested and $184 million in outstanding bond debt.

On November 12, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant denied Pasadena’s request for a temporary restraining order, ruling there was no demonstrated emergency since UCLA’s next Rose Bowl game is not until fall 2026. Still, the judge acknowledged the possibility “of irreparable harm” and invited Pasadena to pursue discovery and file for a preliminary injunction.

Nine days later, UCLA’s UC Regents filed motions to compel arbitration, arguing that the lease contains a binding arbitration clause. Hearings are scheduled for January 8 on a motion for stay and January 22 on arbitration. Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo criticized the legal expense of UCLA’s arbitration demand as a waste of public education funds.

As of November 30, UCLA officials maintain that “no decision has been made” on leaving the Rose Bowl.

What’s Next for the Bruins

For UCLA, the challenges seem almost existential: how to restore competitiveness, reengage fans, and resolve a dispute of its own making that will define its football program’s next chapter.