The USC Trojans faced widespread criticism following the lackluster attendance at their 2026 college football season opener this past weekend. Attendance was sparse at LA Memorial Coliseum, with a glaring amount of empty seats as the Trojans faced off against the San Jose State Spartans on Saturday afternoon. USC announced a generous estimate of 51,144 fans and released a statement regarding the lack of attendance on Monday.
"We understand the factors that impacted Saturday's attendance," the school said in a statement. "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." Sports broadcaster Dan Patrick fired back at USC over this public statement.
You don’t have to have any excuses," Patrick said. Lincoln Riley's got to worry about bigger things than how many people are watching us play, it's how are we doing when fans are watching us? You're issuing a statement?
"You don't need to explain, apologize — just play good football. That's it." USC notched a 42-26 victory over San Jose State to open up the year. This Friday, the Trojans will welcome the Fresno State Bulldogs for a night game at LA Memorial Coliseum.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
