Quarterfinals Week 16: UC Davis (11-2) @ South Dakota (10-2) UCLA from the start didn’t want to be UC Los Angeles whereas Cal was UC period. The use of the initials obscures the association, so UCLA made sure that was how the school was referenced. UCLA is claimed to be the most recognized college name internationally even though many don’t associate it with the University of California.
Cal Davis or University or California Davis or UC Davis all give the impression of a subsidiary association with the Berkeley campus which owns in public perception the labels Cal, or University of California or UC.
UCLA did start as a subsidiary campus, they didn’t get their own Chancellor until 1951