This season, the USC Trojans are "entering their championship window," at least that's what head coach Lincoln Riley would tell you. Heading into his 5th season at the helm of USC, it's about time that Lincoln Riley finally built a contender with how much has been poured into the roster and how much he's being paid.
The belief is that with Jayden Maiava back for another season, a talented roster, and the Nation's top ranked signing class coming in, this is a deep enough and talented enough roster to win it all. Given the belief Lincoln Riley has in this roster, you would think USC fans would be fighting eachother for a ticket to get into the Coliseum.
USC releases foolish statement for its lack of attendance
This weekend, USC opened the season facing off against San Jose State in Week 0, which was only added to the schedule because the Trojans won't face Notre Dame this season. On Saturday, USC fans showed they had no interest in watching the game as the stadium was about a third filled.
Coliseum looks about one-third full in the late August heat. pic.twitter.com/bJweCuT3Nh
— Ben Bolch (@calpostbbolch) August 29, 2026
The main excuses for the lack of attendance have ranged from the weather outside being too hot to the fans not wanting to show up to watch the Trojans blow out the Spartans. College football fans around the Country have bashed USC students and fans for not showing up to the point that the school decided to release an official statement.
USC statement on the crowd at the Coliseum against San Jose State pic.twitter.com/oJzDRPqEU0
— jordan mendoza (@jordan_mendoza5) August 30, 2026
The statement itself points out that there were plenty of factors that impacted the attendance numbers on Saturday. The only issue is that the USC fans have shown up in the exact same circumstances in the past, specifically when Pete Carroll was at the helm.
USC vs San Jose State, season opener on Sep 5, 2009. 90 degrees, 12:30p kickoff, attendance was 84,325.
— Joe (@JoeChacon) August 30, 2026
Today’s attendance was announced as 51,144; which we know was much lower than that.
Fans blame the heat and the fact SC was playing SJSU. But maybe it has more to do with… pic.twitter.com/5nI5Z9gxUN
The fact of the matter is that USC hasn't demanded the same level of respect and attention from the fanbase that they've gotten in the past. When Lincoln Riley builds a team that becomes a show like the USC teams of the past, the fans will show up regardless of the conditions, as everyone felt like they were watching something special with those teams.
The other thing USC could do to prove that the conditions don't matter is to give the fanbase what they want. Not finding a way to come to an agreement with Notre Dame on continuing the rivalry got USC to this point, and they decided to replace the rivalry game with a game where they could play 16 freshmen.
Releasing a statement on the lack of attendance is laughable and a sign that some of the people in charge do not get it. Fans show up around the Country for games in the heat and against inferior opponents, so the excuses don't hold any weight. The only people to blame are the fans themselves for not showing up and USC for not playing one of their biggest rivals where everyone would've shown up.
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