A potential lease agreement would be considered at the Dec. 6 meeting of the Rose Bowl Operating Committee, USC officials said in a written statement.

USC, which has played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since 1923, would have to share the Rose Bowl with its football rival, UCLA, which already plays home games in Pasadena.

"Although we have been a faithful tenant of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for 80 years, we must now seek other alternatives for the good of our football program and our fans," USC administration chief Todd R. Dickey said.

USC has been seeking control of the venue and has offered more than $100 million over 10 years to fund its repair and restoration.

The Coliseum, which has been trying to sell itself as home turf for a potential Los Angeles-based NFL team, has rejected that offer.

The Los Angeles area hasn't had an NFL team since after the 1994 season when the Raiders returned to Oakland and the Anaheim-based Rams moved to St. Louis.

Los Angeles city leaders have said they want to build a new stadium within the historic venue's walls at a cost of $800 million.

The Los Angeles Coliseum Commission has offered the Trojans a two-year lease and was willing to offer a longer stay if the team asks for one, the stadium's general manager Pat Lynch told the Los Angeles Times.

But USC officials said they wanted an agreement that would include improvements to the facility and an operating lease.

Rose Bowl manager Darryl Dunn said the venue's staff would seek an arrangement with USC officials, as long as UCLA agreed to it.

"If it doesn't work for UCLA, it's not going to work for us," he said.