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USC seems to be having a rough time attracting fans to the stadium this year.
Last week, college football fans mocked USC after no one showed up to watch their team play San Jose State.
There are literally only 8 college football games today and this is all USC could get to show up to the stadium for the season opener.
Pathetic for a “proud” program that claims 11 national championships… pic.twitter.com/LqgkZmmp0v
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) August 29, 2026
USC later released a statement about the low attendance.
“We understand the factors that impacted Saturday’s attendance,” the statement read. “We have high expectations and a premier home schedule this season, and we know the competitive advantage an electric Coliseum atmosphere can provide our program. We thank our fans who showed up Saturday and look forward to seeing increased attendance the rest of the season.”
On Friday, USC was mocked again after LA Coliseum appeared empty during kickoff.
— Marc Kulkin (@MarcKulkin) September 5, 2026
USC has literally half of their stadium empty.. do they even like football out west? pic.twitter.com/7EUTQRNlw1
— CFB Memes (@CFBMemes) September 5, 2026
USC fans: “Nobody was at the game last week because it was so hot! Have you ever heard of humidity?!”
USC fans tonight: “It’s too nice! There’s so much to do in LA!” pic.twitter.com/C98K0AVYyl
— Chad Fisher DNP (@ChadFisher) September 5, 2026
USC fans don’t care about football.. PLAIN AND SIMPLE… pic.twitter.com/T4LgnD6ybX
— Top Tier Utah (@TopTierUtes) September 5, 2026
Earlier this week, USC head coach Lincoln Riley believed there was a false narrative regarding fan turnout.
“This is USC — people are going to have an opinion,” Riley said. “I don’t buy into the false narrative. I think that comes from a lot of people that don’t follow our program, and most of those have never stepped foot in the Coliseum.”
“The reality is, during my years here, attendance has gone up every single year,” Riley said. “As has our play in the Coliseum, including running the table last year in front of a lot of epic atmospheres, and I expect that to happen again this year.”