Will U.S. See L.A. Game? No

Giddy about Big Gulp Week, I phoned Troy Aikman.

Talked about the excitement of the USC-UCLA game. Relived the drama in the huddle, the tingle in the town.

Then asked him, by the way, when was the last time he had actually seen the game, either in person or on television?

It had been nine years.

“That John Barnes game,” he said.

Things pretty busy in Dallas, huh?

“It’s rarely on TV out here anymore,” he said.

Still giddy about Supersize Saturday, I phoned Marcus Allen.

Talked about the thrill of pounding the ball through the Bruin facemasks. Talked about how the new-era Trojans never pound the ball against anybody.

Then asked him, by the way, when was the last time he had actually seen the USC-UCLA game.

“Can’t remember,” he said.

Things pretty busy on the road as a CBS analyst, huh?

“Unless I go to a restaurant with about 20 television sets, I can’t find it,” he said. “Nationally, it’s not the game it used to be.”

Not the game it used to be?

Not true. Not here. Not ever.

I still love it. We all still love it.

Standing on the Rose Bowl sidelines in the final nine seconds of last season’s game, I remembered why.

A third-string kicker trying to kick his first field goal of the season.

A kick partially blocked by a fumbling holder.

A kick that nonetheless wobbled through the uprights to give USC a 38-35 victory.

Neighborhood kids weeping or collapsing. Carson Palmer dancing with the band. Paul Hackett choking on his words.

Some of his last words as a coach.

Because a couple of weeks later, despite having beaten UCLA in consecutive seasons, Hackett was fired.

Which tells us maybe Allen is right.

Maybe it’s not the game it used to be.

As last year proved, it’s no longer a coach saver. Recent years have also shown, it’s no longer a Heisman maker, or a championship decider, or an NFL first-round creator.

“It’s still a big game for all involved,” said Aikman, Fox’s new star analyst. “But it’s a bigger game when both teams are at the top of their game ... and that hasn’t been the case for a while.”

Put it another way.

It’s no longer Ohio State-Michigan.

It’s more like Carson-Banning.

It’s no longer a main Saturday afternoon attraction.

It’s more like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

It’s become a lovable cult flick, filled with the likes of John Barnes, and Eric Affholter and Marvin Goodwin and George Achica.

For a couple of hours Saturday, folks will dress funny and act strangely and scream until they are hoarse.

But then the buzz will die until next year.

Heck, these days, it’s not even Washington-Washington State.

That game will be televised nationally on ABC, which had the audacity to choose the Apple Cup ahead of our Too Cool For A Name Cup.

So, at 3:30 p.m. here, the game will be on Fox Sports Net, which, at 78 million homes, is still pretty darn big.

But there are 105.5 million television households nationwide, which means many of those cold-climate folks who grew up enamored of our neighborhood game and its neat colors and its pretty weather will miss it.

Again.

Ours has not been the lone nationally televised game by any regular network in 13 years.

Makes you want to cry East Coast bias.

Then you look at the statistics and realize you should just shut up.

Remember when both teams were in the top 10 when they met?

Then you have a pretty good memory.

It occurred six times in the 12 years from 1965 to 1976.

It has occurred once in the 25 years since.

“Around the country, USC is still the football school in town, and when we’re not winning, then the environment for the game suffers,” Allen said.

Remember when the game would determine which local team would go to the Rose Bowl?

It occurred eight times in the 11 years between 1964 and 1974.

It has occurred six times in the 27 years since.

And not once in the last eight years.

“I remember when every game decided something,” Aikman said. “I’m not sure that’s the case anymore.”

The game hasn’t featured a Heisman Trophy winner for 20 years. It hasn’t featured a national champion in 23 years.

Top NFL players?

In 1980, the game featured five first-round draft picks.

The last four games combined featured five first-round picks.

Said Aikman, “No offense to anybody there now but, man, back then, we were loaded.”

Said Allen, “You have to play well to garner national respect, and at USC, we haven’t done that. You have to have continuity, and we haven’t had that.”

Aikman, who still has close ties to UCLA, will still check the score.

Allen, who said he remains a huge “armchair fan,” will still debate the result with friends.

Something memorable will still happen. Somebody will emerge from an obscure alley and seize the neighborhood. Lessons will be learned. They always are.

But then we’ll all go home and wait for Jan. 10 and Feb. 6.

The dates of the real USC-UCLA rivalry.

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Bill Plaschke can be reached at bill.plaschke@latimes.com.