With T-minus 12 days to the highly anticipated crosstown showdown, the USC vs. UCLA football game on Nov. 29 is shaping up to be a big one — if the crowd can make it back to Los Angeles after Thanksgiving in time.
Though the game is at home and USC has a 94.1% chance of winning according to ESPN, with many speculating online that attendance will drop as students travel back home for the break.
With the holiday in mind, Conquest Week activities will also see major shifts in schedule compared to previous years.
The rally during Conquest Week, known as CONQUEST, and the late-night Tommy Trojan and Hecuba performances typically occur on the Thursday leading up to the game. This year, they will take place on Monday, Nov. 24 — just two days before USC lets off for Thanksgiving break.
CONQUEST won’t feature a performance hosted by the Concerts Committee as in past years, according to the Trojan Pride committee, but will instead take on a carnival-like feel. It will include freebies, carnival games, performances from the Trojan Marching Band and appearances from various USC athletes. This year’s pep rally at McCarthy Quad supports the football team and is entirely under the direction of Trojan Pride.
“CONQUEST is such an important USC tradition, and we really didn’t want to break that,” Trojan Pride co-director Tyffany Vu said. “We’ve put so much effort into making this CONQUEST fun, and we know that the students who are here are going to have an amazing time. It’s really the biggest pep rally of the year and something you definitely don’t want to miss.”
This will be the first USC vs. UCLA game for Kyndal Foster and Johniece Reynolds, sophomores studying journalism and biomedical engineering, respectively. Both are big football fans and will fly back to USC in time for the game.
“We are going home for the break, we leave this Friday and come back next Friday before the game,” Foster said. “It didn’t really end up affecting us as much because we felt like it would just be enough time for us to be here from Friday to Friday and just come back, especially because winter break is right after.”
One of the most famous Conquest Week events is the Trojan Knights’ and USC Helenes’ Tommy Trojan and Hecuba watch, where members of each organization camp out 24/7 guarding the statues from attack. This year, the Helenes will guard Hecuba from Sunday to Tuesday night while classes are still in session. The Trojan Knights will keep guard of Tommy Trojan Monday to Friday and throughout the break.
The Trojan Knights are currently in the process of planning other Conquest Week events with various other organizations.
“I remember last year, which was my first conquest with Trojan knights, and it was so awesome,” Trojan Knights president and philosophy, politics and law major Mayra Bazan Gonzalez said. “I think it’s really difficult for some student organizations to fully branch out to reach general audiences, but I think this event is really our way to make that community impact, and that’s my favorite part about it.”
USC’s current season record is 8-2 overall and 6-1 in conference. The last time USC played UCLA over Thanksgiving break in 2015, it was a winning home game in the Coliseum, so maybe that will be a good omen for the Trojans.