The USC Trojans took part in college football’s Week 0 slate of games and picked up an easy win over San Jose State. Yet all the chatter during and after the game had to do with how many fans decided to watch from home.
That, or not watch at all.
USC Fans Have 1 Excuse for Saturday’s Low Attendance
The images are tough to see and make it look like the stands are simply filled with friends and families of the players.
The Coliseum at kickoff of USC’s season opener with San Jose State pic.twitter.com/4bOhMY487b
— Ryan Kartje (@RyanKartje) August 29, 2026
USC football was at an elite level in the early 2000s. Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart were larger than life and the program brought a sense of magic to college football. Of course, we later learned there was a lot of corruption within the program but that’s a whole other story.
The point is that USC football has fallen mightily since those days. However, fans do have one fair excuse.
Lots of excitement around the USC football team this year. You can tell by the 694 fans in attendance. pic.twitter.com/wLpfXgRKBo
— Chad Fisher DNP (@ChadFisherDNP) August 29, 2026
Amidst the mocking, we can see a weather report showing it was over 90 degrees at kickoff. This comes during a serious heatwave in Southern California that is also featuring rare humidity for the area. So it’s entirely possible fans opted to stay home, watch on TV, and wait for a more marquee game on the schedule.
This is something that would never happen at most big programs. Ohio State, for example, will have a packed house for next week’s opener against lowly Ball State. USC was once at that level too.
USC has a long way to go to get back to its glory days. It just seems unfair to go at the program and its fans too hard after realizing the weather was unbearable for those used to the mild climate of the region.
