USC ‘expect better’ after embarrassing empty stands force immediate reaction
College football is back, but USC fans might not have realized.
The Trojans opened their 2026 season with a Week 0 game against San Jose State at the LA Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, but it was far from a sell out.
Footage from the television broadcast showed head coach Lincoln Riley leading USC out of the tunnel five minutes before kick off, and the team emerged to empty-looking stands.
Ironically, NBC commentators suggested the 2026 season would be ‘one of the most anticipated in recent memory’ for the Trojans.
USC’s ’embarrassing’ Week 0 attendance goes viral
Official attendance figures from ESPN confirm that 51,144 of the 77,500 seats were eventually filled, even though it looked like far less in the minutes leading up to the game.
That marks the lowest figure under Riley, and the lowest since 2018.
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Videos from the Coliseum quickly spread on social media, racking up millions of views.
“Without a doubt, this is so embarrassing for USC,” one fan wrote on X, of the poor attendance.
“That’s honestly so rough, I really feel for everyone involved there,” another said.
“Looked like a game during the Covid shutdown,” a third suggested.
“Damn, didn’t USC used to be considered a national powerhouse? That attendance level would be embarrassing for a D2 program,” a fourth suggested.
“Lots of excitement around the USC football team this year. You can tell by the 694 fans in attendance,” a fifth joked.
Empty stands is a bad look for any college football team, especially for a traditional ‘blue blood’ program like USC.
The Trojans opened their season with a convincing 42-26 win over the Spartans, with quarterback Jayden Maiava passing for 286 yards and accounting for three touchdowns.
But much of the talk in the days since has been about the Week 0 attendance.
So much so, that the school has been forced to respond.
USC shares statement on low attendance for season opener
“We understand the factors that impacted Saturday’s attendance,” USC said, in a statement to USA TODAY Sports.
“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.”
The message is clear — USC wants its fans to turn up for the rest of the year.
But there are a number of factors behind low attendance in the home opener.
The biggest, was the weather. Saturday’s game took place at the height of summer, in what has been a brutal stretch of temperatures in southern California.
According to USA TODAY, the US National Weather Service had issued an extreme heat advisory in the Los Angeles region over the weekend.
The game also kicked off at midday local time, in 94F temperatures, with a real feel of 104F.
Such conditions, at a historic venue, would make sitting through a three-hour game of football rather uncomfortable.
There will, of course, be bigger and better attended games at the Coliseum this season.
No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon and No. 19 Washington will all come to town in the coming months, where USC will be expecting sellouts.
If the messaging from the school is anything to go by, Saturday’s empty stands won’t be an issue moving forward.
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