UCLA claims more than 30,000 fans attended its college football game against New Mexico. Sure, Jan.
The Bruins drew a pathetic crowd for an even more pathetic loss.
I know it is common practice for college football programs to create a much inflated attendance number based on tickets sold, employees, and other random factors, but this is just silly. It wasn’t even close.
UCLA lost another college football game.
It is very possible that Nico Iamaleava could finish his first season at UCLA at 0-12. He, lame duck head coach Deshaun Foster and the Bruins would be lucky to squeak out a win (maybe two) against their upcoming Big Ten gauntley.
Wins against Penn State, Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio State and USC are not likely. Games against Northwestern, Michigan State, Maryland and Washington offer some hope to get on the board.
We’ll see.
Iamaleava has thrown just as many interceptions as touchdowns. He is also the team’s leading rusher with only 139 yards through three games, which does not reflect well on the run game.
Nico overthrowing wide open TDs 😂 pic.twitter.com/LfaRMT1Ada
— Ashley Schaeffer Vol (@SchaefferVol) August 31, 2025
UCLA converted only eight of 35 attempts on third down against Utah, UNLV and New Mexico. It averaged just 16.3 points per game against those three opponents.
Credit to first-year head coach Jason Eck for leading his team to a dominant 25-point win over a Power Four opponent with a multi-million dollar quarterback. However, the final score reflects even more on what the Bruins did wrong than what the Lobos did right. It was ugly.
Attendance numbers are skewed.
Every single school in the country releases a total attendance number that is often inflated over reality. They count tickets sold, guests of the program, recruits, everything.
UCLA is not alone in this.
But with that being said, it is silly to release a number that is so obviously untrue when compared to the actual amount of fans in the stands. The Bruins claim a total attendance of 31,163 on Friday night.
The real attendance was probably closer to 15,000. Less than half of what was announced.
There are so many better things to do on a Friday night in Los Angeles than watch UCLA football. It is a real pain to get out to the Rose Bowl, especially during peak traffic hours. The tailgating scene is practically nonexistent because of the lack of interest and logistical challenges. The stadium itself (not the history or the actual Rose Bowl Game) is not a luxurious experience.
All of those factors create an attendance problem.
For the Bruins to also be terrible at football makes a trip to Pasadena even less enticing. Lets not try to pretend more than 30,000 fans showed up to watch their team lose to a Group of Six opponent.