Top five teams UCLA Football fans will miss playing

No. 4: Arizona State

Football games between the UCLA Bruins and Arizona State Sun Devils date back to 1976, when UCLA won 28–10 to defeat Arizona State. Surprisingly, this rivalry was among the hottest in the Pac-12 Conference, and the games between these two universities have frequently been close and thrilling but as the Sun Devils join the Big 12 and the Bruins go to the Big Ten, they are unlikely to play one another in football moving forward

Although UCLA has won three of the last five meetings, the Bruins still hold an all-time series lead of 23-16-1. The Bruins dominated the Sun Devils in the early going of their rivalry, which spanned from 1976 to 1985. UCLA had won the previous four meetings and had never lost in the rivalry's six meetings, with the two teams drawing a 26-26 draw in their 1983 match. But in 1992, things started to shift in the rivalry.

Turning the tide, the Sun Devils won five of the following six meetings between the two teams from 1992 to 1999. In the two games they played, Arizona State's defense shut out the Bruins for a combined total of three points, demonstrating their exceptional play in both games.

The Bruins took command of the series starting in 2000, winning five of the following six encounters, including a 24-12 triumph in 2006. During that time, the UCLA offense scored 38 points or more three times. In the rivalry, the Sun Devils would recover, winning three of the four games that they played beginning in 2007—including a thrilling 34-9 triumph in 2008. From 2013 onward, the series would be more alternating. Since 2013, the Sun Devils have triumphed in six games, while the Bruins have also won five times. Unfortunately, because of conference realignment, one of the former Pac-12 Conference's most underappreciated and underrated rivalries will be no more.

In Summary

Ten previous game encounters between these two teams have resulted in five victories apiece for each team.

In the previous five meetings between the two teams, UCLA has defeated Arizona State three times.

The best recent matchup between these two universities was UCLA's 45-35 victory over Arizona State in 2005. The back-and-forth nature of the game took place in the Rose Bowl. The Bruins came back to take a 42-28 lead in the fourth quarter after the game was tied at 28-28 at halftime. In a high-scoring contest, the Bruins prevailed despite the Sun Devils' touchdown in the fourth quarter to cut their lead to 42-35.

Why this rivalry made it in the top four of teams for UCLA that fans will miss watching the Bruins play in football is because these teams play one another frequently. They have played one another each season for the past 21 years. The last time they didn't play one another in a season was back in 2002. Both UCLA and Arizona State were both in the Pac-12 South division before the Pac-12 dissolved the divisions like most conferences have done. Bruin fans will miss this rivalry more then they may think.