Overview
- USC opened the season against San Jose State on Saturday, Aug. 29, and announced an attendance of 51,144 in the 77,500-seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
- Television shots at kickoff made the stadium look far emptier than the announced figure and those images spread widely on social media, driving national commentary and criticism.
- The U.S. National Weather Service issued an extreme-heat advisory for the Los Angeles area, and USC and multiple reports cited 94°F kickoff temperatures, limited shade and the noon start as reasons many fans stayed away.
- Rival coaches and commentators seized on the optics—Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire contrasted Lubbock sellouts with USC's opener—while USC issued a statement and Riley called the attendance narrative 'false' and pointed to rising attendance during his tenure.
- USC faces Fresno State on Friday in a 6 p.m. local kickoff that officials expect to be cooler and that the program and media will treat as a near-term test of whether Coliseum attendance and optics improve this season.