Sure UCLA and USC collaborated on a recent study on toll roads, but when it comes to sports, the two schools want to leave each other bleeding in the gutter, at least if we are to listen to Andrew Kamenetzky. For some reason, he has become hell-bent on convincing the world that the USC-UCLA rivalry is epic in dimension ever since reading an excerpt from Ivan Maisel’s upcoming book The Maisel Report: College Football’s Most Overrated and Underrated Players, Coaches, Teams, & Traditions.

He today posted:

I was immediately put off by the scribe’s choice for the most hype dependent rivalry. USC -UCLA. The premise alone made my head do a Navin Johnson, but before passing judgment, I felt it only right to lend Maisel an ear (or really, an eyeball). I gave the passage a read. Having done so, I feel comfortable saying, with respect to Maisel, who’s affiliated with a fine network (I cash regular checks from ESPN myself) and author of what I’m sure is an otherwise excellent book, the man is either gunning to be a contrarian, attempted tongue-in-cheek irony that went over my head, or doesn’t know what he’s talking about… It’s always been the emotions and personal history that make a rivalry. It’s what you’re conditioned to feel, no matter if another school might offer you a better game. I challenge Maisel to walk on either USC’s or UCLA’s campus and find an even a small contingent of football fans psyched for the upcoming season but indifferent to the “Crosstown Rivalry” game.

Whoa boy, easy! I think someone forgot their Ritalin today.