USC opened the 2026 college football season on a positive note, beginning its Week 0 schedule with a victory.
Yet for many viewers watching the Trojans’ season opener, the biggest talking point was not the scoreboard — it was the striking number of empty seats inside the famed LA Coliseum.
The historic 77,500-seat venue has hosted USC football since 1923 and remains one of the most recognizable stadiums in the sport, tied to generations of memorable college football moments.
But the atmosphere was noticeably muted for the first game of the new campaign, as head coach Lincoln Riley led his players onto the field to face San Jose State in front of a visibly thin crowd.
On the field, the Trojans took care of business with a 42-26 win, powered by a commanding first half from quarterback Jayden Maiava that helped USC build a 28-0 halftime lead. Online, however, college football fans quickly seized on the poor attendance, with many calling the scene “embarrassing” for the program.
The matchup itself appeared to be a difficult draw, with resale tickets reportedly dropping below $10 before kickoff. USC listed the official attendance at 51,144, though local reporters estimated the number of fans actually in the stadium was less than half that figure.
The LA Coliseum, longtime home of the USC Trojans, stands among America’s most storied sports venues
Rows of empty seats were clearly visible as USC hosted San Jose State in its season opener
The Trojans put on a show but barely anyone was in attendance to see it in Week 0
And it could have been very different: San Jose State was only added to the schedule in February to replace Notre Dame.
The historic rivalry game was pulled after the two schools were unable to reach an agreement. It was claimed timing of the matchup was a source of dispute, and this Week 0 slot was reportedly suggested by USC in the discussions but rejected by their rivals.
The schools have since agreed to resume games starting in 2030, with the games being played in Week 1 in 2030 and 2031 then Week 1, 2 or 3 in 2032 and 2033.
And those matchups are certain to generate a far bigger crowd than the small offering for San Jose State in the non-conference schedule slot.
The weather was also a factor, after the game was scheduled for a midday kickoff. According to AccuWeather, temperature at kick off was 94 degrees, with a real feel temperature of 104 degrees.
Former NFL player Will Blackmon attended the game and later posted on social media: ‘For everyone dissing the USC attendance I was at the game today. It was outrageously hot and humid with zero shade.
‘No breeze. Nada. (I lived in Dallas and Jacksonville) We could barely survive the 1st quarter and they are playing San Jose State at 12pm. Lol Brutal.’
Head coach Lincoln Riley has previously discussed the need to give fans a reason to fill the Coliseum. After the team averaged 67,783 home fans in 2025, he said: ‘You have to win. You have to give them something.’
Lincoln Riley led out his USC team in front of sparsely populated stands in California
USC comfortably won the game despite the Spartans finishing strong in the fourth quarter
Fans who did attend the game braved hot conditions in Los Angeles with a midday kickoff
Home games against Oregon, Washington and Ohio State later in the schedule will no doubt bring far more fans into the iconic stadium, that will host its third Summer Olympic games in 2028.
Speaking after the win over San Jose State, Riley was critical of some aspects of his team but pleased to get their first game out of the way.
‘Good to get the first one under our belt,’ Riley said. ‘But kind of a tale of two games for us.’
‘First three quarters, a lot of really good football out there with all three sides playing complementary. They dominated the game for three quarters. Exciting ball and a lot of our guys’ first games as Trojans. They made a lot of big plays, so obviously that was the highlight of it.
‘Fourth quarter, not up to our standards. A bunch of guys who got opportunities and had several who did not play the way we anticipated. They’ll need to learn and grow from it because we’re going to need the depth of this roster. We challenged that in the fourth quarter and we did not respond the way we wanted to.
‘Games like this, I take it for what it is. You don’t hide behind the fact that the fourth quarter wasn’t good enough and we’re not going to pretend that we didn’t dominate the game.
‘We have a lot of work to do, especially with the short week coming up. We’ll have to turn this over quick. The first and second games is where you make a lot of improvements. We’ve got to go attack this week in short order.’
