LOS ANGELES -- A billboard showcasing USC quarterback Matt Barkley in UCLA territory has been taken down and nobody is taking responsibility for it.

The Matt Barkley/USC billboard that went up, and was quickly taken down, near UCLA. Courtesy of Bradley Phillips

The billboard, located a couple blocks south of the UCLA campus at the intersection of Westwood Boulevard and Lindbrook Drive in Westwood Village, had featured a picture of Barkley looking to the sky, taken the day he announced he was returning for his senior season last December.

The school's 2012 slogan -- "We play to finish" -- was in all caps to the left of Barkley's head, with a URL to purchase tickets placed below.

The billboard was stripped or painted over either late Monday night or early Tuesday morning and now shows nothing but a black background.

USC says it had nothing to do with it.

"USC was not involved in the decision to take any billboard down," USC spokesperson Tim Tessalone told ESPNLosAngeles.com. "We do not agree with the decision, nor were we involved in the decision to take it down."