Lincoln Riley had to beg fans to show up to Saturday’s college football game between USC and Michigan State. That would not have been a problem at Oklahoma or (almost) anywhere else in the SEC.
It just goes to show which conference(s) are superior.
A Power Four college football program should not have any issues getting butts in the seats for a conference matchup against an undefeated opponent. Staying the whole game is one thing. Getting to the game in the first place is another. The latter should be a given.
It just means more…
Even lower-tier SEC schools (respectfully) like Vanderbilt, Missouri and Kentucky would have no problem filling their respective stadiums for the first conference game of the season. Both teams are 3-0. The home team is ranked.
It would not be an issue. There would be no crowd concerns.
I could see a scenario where the home side gets up big so fans start to leave at halftime or in the early third quarter. I cannot see a scenario where the fans were empty at kickoff. It just wouldn’t happen!
The same can be said for ACC schools like Clemson and Florida State. The same can be said for Big Ten schools like Ohio State, Nebraska, Iowa and Michigan — and now Oregon.
These are programs with some of the biggest brand names in the world. These programs do not mess around when it comes to college football. The stadium is full. No exceptions.
Lincoln Riley is begging USC fans to attend a college football game.
The Trojans will host the Spartans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday. USC is ranked No. 25 in the country and Michigan State has serious juice. This isn’t an early-season cupcake. It’s the Big Ten.
However, the game will kick off at 8:00 p.m. local time.
The late start led Lincoln Riley to issue a desperate plea. He is literally begging fans to show up. Season-ticket holders, students, casuals— everybody.
This kind of statement is not necessary at Oklahoma. This kind of statement wouldn’t have been necessary at USC in the early 2000s. What happened to the brand?! What happened to the culture?!