More at stake than trophy

The Lexus Gauntlet is a 150-pound severed hand with corporate sponsorship from a car manufacturing mogul.

For UCLA and USC the Gauntlet is so much more.

It is a representation of one of the greatest rivalries in the nation. More than any other measurement that currently exists, the Lexus Gauntlet actually indicates which school wins the athletic competition and, more importantly, the university rivalry between UCLA and USC.

“The special thing about the Gauntlet is it’s about head-to-head competition with your rival,” UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero said. “It’s a battle for city bragging rights. Having been a student athlete here, you’re indoctrinated early about your “˜love’ for the other institution across town. … It’s extremely important and I’m glad Lexus was able to put together this kind of competition.”

As far as this year goes, the Gauntlet is all but taken for the Bruins.

USC took the first lead of this year’s rivalry by defeating UCLA men’s water polo in September, but that has been the only time it has been ahead. UCLA quickly won rivalry games in women’s volleyball, soccer and cross country to take a 20-5 lead.

However, USC had a perfect opportunity to catch back up in the annual UCLA-USC football game. Football is counted as 10 points in the Lexus Gauntlet scoring system, and in a game they were expecting to win, the Trojans would have been able to close the gap on the Bruins.

Then Dec. 2 happened.

When Bruin football upset the No. 2 Trojans, they almost locked up the Gauntlet right then and there. The one victory the Trojans almost guaranteed themselves in a crosstown rivalry had been stolen from them.

“It was a big boost for our football program,” Guerrero said of the football victory. “I go across the country, I talk to other athletic directors, and they all complement UCLA on their great football season. And they say the great football season largely because we beat ‘SC 13-9. And that’s what they remember.”

With men’s basketball around the corner in the winter, most everybody expected the Bruins to keep their strong lead.

And that’s exactly how it has played out. Despite losses to USC women’s basketball, men’s and women’s tennis and a split with men’s volleyball, Bruin sports have kept strong in 2007, winning in hoops, swimming, women’s water polo and now baseball.

Last weekend marked the period at the end of the sentence for what has been domination by Bruin athletics over the Trojans this season. Baseball was able to sweep a series with the Trojans, 5-2, 7-6 and 12-9, and corresponding to the Gauntlet scoring system, added to UCLA’s current total of 57.5 points.

“It feels great to bring the Gauntlet back to UCLA,” sophomore baseball catcher Cody Decker said. “I think that it shows you how good UCLA is at athletics all around. We just feel good that we were able to get it done.”

Technically the first school to 55 points wins, but with certain postseason possibilities in which points can count toward the total, USC could still take the Gauntlet. It would have to win every regular season matchup left as well as simultaneously hope to meet and defeat UCLA twice in the MPSF Women’s Water Polo Tournament and the women’s water polo NCAA Tournament. The chances of that happening, with some detailed mathematics, is less than 1 percent.

If men’s tennis wins today against USC, UCLA will have firmly clinched the Gauntlet for the year.

“It’s such a great rivalry and there are great traditions at both schools,” UCLA men’s tennis coach Billy Martin said. “The ‘SC crowd really comes out and does a good job of coming here just as our fans do when we play at USC. Hopefully we’ll give everyone a lot to cheer for.”

In medieval times, the term “throwing down the gauntlet” described the procedure in which knights challenged each other to duels. Even if men’s tennis doesn’t clinch the Gauntlet victory this weekend, it looks like this year, USC has been thrown off its horse.

With reports from Bobby Gordon and Ajaybir Behniwal, Bruin Sports senior staff, and Andrew Howard, Bruin Sports contributor.

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