May 5, 2004

With only one regular-season USC-UCLA meeting remaining, the Trojans have the inside track on claiming the 2003-04 Lexus Gauntlet, a trophy awarded annually to the school with the most successful athletic year against the other.

USC currently holds a 57.5 to 47.5 edge over UCLA, with the May 17 men's golf dual match (worth 5 points for the winner) still to be played. Points are awarded to the winner of each Trojan-Bruin head-to-head contest and the Lexus Gauntlet is awarded to the school with the most points at year's end.

It takes 57.5 points to clinch the Lexus Gauntlet outright. Although USC has reached this figure, it is premature to award the trophy to the Trojans because there is the possibility that the teams could face each other in the post-season in two sports (men's tennis and baseball) where points could be "won back."

In both of those sports, the teams have split their regular season meetings, earning 2.5 points per sport for each school. (The teams could also meet in the post-season in women's tennis, but the result won't affect the Lexus Gauntlet point total because USC won both regular-season matches.)

The only hope for UCLA to claim this year's Lexus Gauntlet is three-pronged: it must defeat the Trojans in the men's golf dual and then meet--and beat--USC in the post-season in both men's tennis (there'd be only one match) and baseball (either once in a one-game series or twice in a two- or three-game series). That's the only scenario where UCLA could get 57.5 points.

If the competition ends in a 55-55 tie, USC would claim the trophy by virtue of the first tiebreaker (most regular-season head-to-head wins; the Trojans currently hold an insurmountable 16-13 lead).

The previous two Lexus Gauntlet races ended in 55-55 ties and had to be determined by tiebreakers. USC captured the inaugural trophy in 2001-02 on the first tiebreaker. UCLA won it last season on the second tiebreaker (most post-season head-to-head wins).

Through the joint efforts and cooperation of both USC and UCLA, the point formula was carefully devised, and agreed upon in full, to allow for both schools to evenly and fairly compete for the Lexus Gauntlet.

In 2001, the schools signed a 4-year contract with Lexus, America's best-selling luxury automotive manufacturer. The Southern California Lexus Dealer Association is the title sponsor for every USC-UCLA athletic competition. This is the first time the two universities have partnered with a corporate entity for complete rivalry sponsorship.