USC eyeing 'increased attendance the rest of the season' after barren opener in Year 5 under Lincoln Riley

At Big Ten media days last month, Lincoln Riley pumped up USC as a program that's ready for liftoff , declaring that the Trojans are "more equipped than at any point in the previous few years" to compete for and win championships.

"That's not a hope or a wish," he added ahead of his fifth season as head coach. "Those are facts, and there's a lot of facts to back that up."

Back then, he referenced alignment and momentum, the latter of which was hardly reflected in the stands on Saturday.

USC, which has yet to make the College Football Playoff, opened the 2026 season in front of a reported 51,144 spectators. There actually appeared to be far fewer dotting the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum seats. Nevertheless, that's still the lowest recorded attendance total in the Riley era and the team's lowest since 2018, per USA Today .

The sight left a lot to be desired and instantly became a bigger talking point than USC taking care of business against the Mountain West's San Jose State to the tune of a 42-26 victory .

"We understand the factors that impacted Saturday's attendance," USC said in a statement to USA Today on Monday .

"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."

Among the factors the university alluded to in its statement is the weather. At the time of the game's noon local kickoff, the temperature was a sizzling 94 degrees. The real feel mark reportedly surged into triple digits. And the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for L.A. County through 8 p.m. that day, according to ESPN , which noted that some fans left their seats to watch the game from shaded areas in the stadium.

Regardless, plenty of fans online have scrutinized the turnout, pointing out that the heat hasn't stopped droves of people attending college football games over the years, especially in the South.

Then there's the other part of the conversation: the opponent. USC has a loaded schedule. The Trojans have to play Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana. Their games against the Ducks and Buckeyes are at home. Quite simply, there are bigger matchups are on the horizon than an Aug. 29 date with San Jose State.

That reasoning hasn't slowed commentary, of course. After all, the Coliseum — an undeniably iconic college football venue — ushered in a crowd akin to one a middling spring game would draw.

"There is no way a human being at Southern Cal put out that pile of garbage," Finebaum said Monday, when reacting to USC's statement on ESPN's "First Take." "That had to be AI generated because no sane person at the University of Southern California would say that.

"And by the way, that 51,000 looked like about 25,000. I've been around sports a long time. When you have nobody at the game, you tend to exaggerate whatever you have."

USC hosts Fresno State and Louisiana before beginning Big Ten play on the road against Rutgers on Sept. 19. The Trojans' first marquee matchup is versus the Ducks on Sept. 26.