The USC Trojans were ripped for what appeared to be extremely poor turnout for their season opener against San Jose State on Saturday.
Photos and TV shots from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum showed the venue mostly empty for kickoff Saturday. The optics very quickly became embarrassing for the Trojans, both on television and on social media.
Without a doubt, this is so embarrassing for USC. pic.twitter.com/h4UoqS6mhb
— David (@borntobarn) August 29, 2026
The pan out to see the stands, embarrassing attendance for @uscfb pic.twitter.com/6d9WFTfSlr
— gmannVOLS (@gmannVOLS) August 29, 2026
The Coliseum at kickoff of USC’s season opener with San Jose State pic.twitter.com/4bOhMY487b
— Ryan Kartje (@RyanKartje) August 29, 2026
USC’s officially announced attendance was 51,144, though no one was buying that as the actual number. The venue looked to be about one-third full in the first quarter.
There are certainly reasons for the low turnout. Many blamed the weather conditions, as temperatures at kickoff were hovering around 95 degrees. Others, however, took the turnout as an indication of a lack of excitement for the 14th-ranked Trojans this season.
Those who did attend Saturday’s game were treated to a 42-26 victory over San Jose State. Despite that, Lincoln Riley was not entirely pleased with how his team closed out the game.
