The Numbers Do Not Lie
The Trojans hit the field against San Jose State instead of Notre Dame, and they eked out a 42-26 win that felt hollow at best. Sure, they put points on the board, but the real story isn’t in the stats; it’s sitting in the stands. ESPN reported that only 51,144 people showed up to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, according to Yahoo Sports. That number is well under the stadium’s full capacity of 77,500. Barren sections made the actual figure seem far lower than what was reported. Venue staff are often counted in these tallies, and that scenario appears highly likely in this instance. The visual evidence suggests the actual crowd was far smaller than the official count claims.
Social Media Has Fun
Fans didn’t care about the score. They went to social media to poke fun at the Trojans for the empty seats. Nick Watts noted that excuses were made for the bad attendance. People said they were at the beach or that class had not started yet. Others claimed the opponent was just San Jose State. Watts called this simply inexcusable for a national brand. Stewart Mandel compared the crowd size to a spring game. He pointed out that many sections were very empty. Chad Fisher mocked the turnout by saying there were more fans than 694. The number of 694 fans in attendance was a joke. Another user compared the program to a recent powerhouse in North Dakota State. That team wins consistently, and their fans want to see that. The Trojans have not had a great recent run. Their last conference championship came way back in 2017.
A Program Losing Its Way
I’ve seen teams struggle, but this feels different. The move to the Big Ten was supposed to help the program. They wanted a better chance at the College Football Playoff. That has not happened yet. Now they face a conference to give it a better shot. Well, that hasn’t happened, and while this wasn’t a Big Ten game, it’s still a bad look. One must question whether USC recouped its costs after paying SJSU a substantial sum. The crowd was similar to a spring game, and that hurts. Is the program a has-been now? The recruiting rankings say they are better, but the fans say otherwise. If you cannot fill the seats for a home opener, you have a problem. The move to diminish the PAC-12 might be costing them their soul. The last time they won a title was 2017. That is a long time to wait for a crowd to care.
The season is just starting, but the signs are worrying. The Badgers kick off the season on the Sunday night of Week 1. They have to wait longer than almost everyone in the country to get their 2026 campaign started. Wisconsin has been preparing for the No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish for quite some time. The Badgers need to crank up the heat on Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr. If Carr has time to sit back in the pocket, Wisconsin doesn’t stand much of a chance. The Irish are favored by 20.5 points, which feels generous. But if USC cannot draw fans now, the road to the playoff looks very steep. The move to a new conference was supposed to fix this, but the seats tell a different story.
