It seems that everyone has now seen pictures of a barren Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for USC’s home opener against the San Jose State Spartans on Saturday. In fact, the poor attendance for Lincoln Riley’s Trojan squad got so much attention that the university itself felt the need to issue a statement in response.
In a statement to USA Today, USC reiterated the “high expectations” it has for its home crowds and reassured the public that LA Coliseum will have a better atmosphere throughout the rest of the season.
“We understand the factors that impacted Saturday’s attendance,” the statement read. “We have high expectations and a premier home schedule this season, and we know the competitive advantage an electric Coliseum atmosphere can provide our program. We thank our fans who showed up Saturday and look forward to seeing increased attendance the rest of the season.”
Several non-football factors were partly to blame for the lackluster crowd on Saturday. For one, it was a Week 0 game that kicked off at noon local time. Football season hasn’t even begun in earnest, and it clearly wasn’t front of mind for those in Southern California on Saturday. Quality of the opponent also played a role. No offense to San Jose State, but the Spartans don’t exactly put butts in seats for a high-caliber program like USC. Many people also blamed the hot weather, which stood at 94 degrees during kickoff, as pushing people away from the game.
Whatever the case may be, it didn’t matter for social media critics who were quick to use the sights of an empty Coliseum to make broader points about the state of USC football. The Trojans are coming off a 9-4 season in 2025, the best year for USC since Lincoln Riley’s first season as head coach in 2022. With home games against Oregon, Washington, and Ohio State on the schedule this season, it’s safe to say the Coliseum will look a bit fuller as the year goes on. But the visuals of Saturday’s beatdown of San Jose State were pretty stunning nonetheless.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.