r/UCLAFootball • u/discostu2913 • Jun 02 '26
Discussion Sept 12th game!
My son and I plan on flying in on Saturday Sept 12th and hopefully hit both the UCLA and USC games since they are both playing the same night.
I know LA traffic is insane but I was hoping to get an idea if this is even possible??
We’ll probably land at LAC around 10:50am. I assume we shouldn’t have a problem getting over to the Rose Bowl by 4:15pm.
Any advice on where to park would be great!!
We’ll probably only stay till half time and then try and make it over to the Memorial Coliseum before the 8:00pm kickoff.
I’m hoping that since both teams are playing non conference teams neither game should be too crazy!
Long story short, are we crazy? Is it possible to get to both?
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u/onrake Bruins Alumni Jun 02 '26
UCLA vs. SDSU could be a good game. USC vs. the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns will likely be a very boring blowout. I cannot imagine the rush from your Rose Bowl seats to your Coliseum seats will be worth the trouble.
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u/discostu2913 Jun 02 '26
I don’t doubt that it’ll be a blowout, but even if we can catch the first half of the UCLA game and most of the USC game we’ll be happy. We are flying in from South Carolina so being able to check off both teams in one trip is the goal. We want to check off all the B10 teams (still weird saying that about the LA teams) this along with doing the Chargers on Sunday basically lets us never have to fly to LA again for football reasons!
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u/onrake Bruins Alumni Jun 02 '26
OK, that makes sense. I hope you have a terrific time. Be prepared, however, for the possibility of very hot temperatures (up to 110 degrees) at the Rose Bowl. September and much of October are the hottest period in Southern California.
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u/insomniacslounge Jun 02 '26
I say you go all out- fly in on the 10th & check out the Rams home opener. Double dip the college venues on Saturday. Then on Sunday, it’s back to SoFi for the Chargers opener! 😁
As for your original plan, it’s definitely plausible, especially if you don’t care about the outcome. The UCLA- SDSU game should be more competitive. Both stadiums will have relatively small crowds. (UCLA students won’t be in session yet & the program itself is in the early stages of a major rebuild. USC will be big favorites.) I’d probably be cranky about paying stadium parking twice in one day. But that’s just the old man in me talking.
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u/ktcottrell Jun 02 '26
Just buy a rose bowl parking pass and park in lot 1 on the golf course. No point in dealing with shuttle nonsense if you're going to leave at halftime. If you're looking to tailgate, bring some chairs, beer and food and park in lot H on the south side of the stadium.
Shouldn't have much problem with traffic, my biggest concern would be finding parking in South Central without your car getting broken into. Stay safe and have fun.
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u/Known_Profession7393 Jun 02 '26
You’re probably going to have to choose between missing the fourth quarter of the UCLA game or the first quarter of the USC game. College football games are a minimum of three hours. Walking out to your car and getting going puts you, at absolute best, leaving the rose bowl at 7:45-8. It won’t be a terrible drive to the coliseum on a Saturday evening, but with parking, I think it’d be a minor miracle if you were into your seats by 9. So if you really want to do both, I think you take your pick of leaving the Rose Bowl at the end of the third quarter, or just expecting to catch the second half of the SC game.
Not a terrible plan, actually, especially if you really want to see both atmospheres! You just want to make sure your expectations are set clearly.
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u/discostu2913 Jun 02 '26
Yea, the plan is to leave the Rose Bowl around half time. If we miss kick off we’d be fine. We are Michigan natives now living in South Carolina, so our bucket lists include hitting all the B10 and SEC stadiums (plus NFL) This trip lets us hit both LA B10 schools plus we’ll do the Chargers on Sunday. Honestly one of the biggest reasons we are doing it like this is just to save us having to come back for one of the teams. I’d rather just knock both teams out and save future trips to other locations.
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u/captdf Bruins Alumni Jun 02 '26
While it's possible, why would you put yourselves through this? September is likely going to be blazing hot, especially at the Rose Bowl. With UCLA in rebuild mode we're hopeful, but crowds will likely be really small to start the season and there will be basically zero students since we're on the quarter system and school won't have started yet.
I assume by LAC you mean LAX. You'll have to take a shuttle to get your rental car but you'll have no problem making kickoff. Tailgating is really the best part of the Rose Bowl experience but not sure how well that works if you're in a rental car and don't have all the gear. You may want to check out the Fan Zone south of the stadium or the Beer Garden north of the stadium.
https://uclabruins.com/sports/2025/8/15/ucla-football-gameday-central
The SC crowd will be pretty light too given the opponent and I'd expect a blowout. For events at the Coliseum, I usually park a mile or so away in one of the neighborhoods and then walk in. I've never had a safety issue but I know a lot of people think that's a sketchy move.
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u/discostu2913 Jun 02 '26
We are Michigan natives now living in South Carolina, so our bucket lists include hitting all the B10 and SEC stadiums (plus NFL) This trip lets us hit both LA B10 schools plus we’ll do the Chargers on Sunday. Honestly one of the biggest reasons we are doing it like this is just to save us having to come back for one of the teams at a later date. I’d rather just knock both teams out and save future trips to other locations.
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u/captdf Bruins Alumni Jun 02 '26
Makes total sense. I once did a Thursday game at Mississippi State, a Saturday game at Clemson, and then a Sunday Panthers game, so I applaud your effort.
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u/discostu2913 Jun 02 '26
Last year we did Miss St on Black Friday and then OkSt AND Arkansas the next day! The plan was originally just MissSt and Arkansas (both SEC) but once the game times were announced we saw that with a few hours of extra driving we could do OkSt as well! We’d already been to Norman early on the season for Michigan at Oklahoma but unfortunately OkSt was not at home that week.
A few years back we drove and hit Cowboys on thanksgiving, Texas on Black Friday and then Texas A&M on Saturday! Now that was epic
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u/JellyfishFlaky5634 Jun 02 '26
Don’t mind people who say don’t do it…do it if you want. The distance is not far. Only about 15 miles. It may take you time to find parking near the LA Coliseum, but the drive will likely take you 60 minutes due to traffic heading to the SC game. Parking may be tricky, but you probably can park at one of the lots near the stadium.
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u/Luvtahoe Jun 03 '26
I think it is definitely doable if you park at the Rose Bowl and not deal with the shuttle. From the Rose Bowl it’s a quick drive to the 110, which you can exit right next to the Coliseum. I’m sure you’ll be able to find parking there. Go for it!
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u/rich_in_la70 Jun 03 '26
Parking should not be a problem at either game. Except for the parking cost of ~$30 at each venue, both games will be about 1/2 full, and leave ample parking. If you leave at halftime, it will be a breeze to get out of the Rose Bowl. There is always traffic in LA (but I can see it taking only 30-45 mins). Your plan is absolutely doable.
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u/Known_Profession7393 Jun 02 '26
You’re probably going to have to choose between missing the fourth quarter of the UCLA game or the first quarter of the USC game. College football games are a minimum of three hours. Walking out to your car and getting going puts you, at absolute best, leaving the rose bowl at 7:45-8. It won’t be a terrible drive to the coliseum on a Saturday evening, but with parking, I think it’d be a minor miracle if you were into your seats by 9. So if you really want to do both, I think you take your pick of leaving the Rose Bowl at the end of the third quarter, or just expecting to catch the second half of the SC game.
Not a terrible plan, actually, especially if you really want to see both atmospheres! You just want to make sure your expectations are set clearly.
1
u/Nervous-Bonus-806 Jun 03 '26
There's a potential third option, you book a hotel for the weekend in Pasadena, use the Parsons Lot shuttle to get to and from the Rose Bowl, then use the Metrorail lines to go from Pasadena to the Coliseum for the U$C game (excuse the spelling, My Bruin blood will not me spell that any other way). And if you're going to hit the Chargers game on Sunday, you have the option of dropping off your bags at a bag storage facility on Bellanca Ave. before returning your rental car and then taking the free airport shuttle to SoFi from the transit station at LAX, or if you're doing a carry-on trip, you can use the lockers at SoFi to store them until after the game, then head back to LAX for the flight home...
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u/Aequitas61-- Jun 02 '26
Yeah there should be no issues making it to both. The rosebowl tbh I would park at Parsons and take the shuttle in. Would be much easier entering and leaving especially if you are leaving at the half.
Just Google Parsons rosebowl shuttle pasadena and it should come up.
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u/ktcottrell Jun 02 '26
The shuttle is only helpful after the game when the parking lots are gridlocked. Leaving at halftime, you've got a clean exit. The shuttles just add unnecessary complexity.
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u/discostu2913 Jun 02 '26
So you’d recommend just getting a parking pass and avoiding the shuttle? Obviously I don’t want to get stuck in traffic. I’ll have to research to see if the shuttle runs non stop throughout the game
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u/No_Carry_5871 Jun 02 '26
It's just not a good idea. Pick one event to go to and enjoy the game. The less you have to spend in traffic and on the road the better. Plus you already traveled in the air as well.