Veteran sports commentator Paul Finebaum didn’t hold back when he called the attendance at the University of Southern California’s season‑opening matchup against San Jose State a ‘disgrace,’ questioning why the Coliseum failed to fill despite the game’s historical significance.
Heatwave and Attendance
The official count of 51,144 marked the lowest figure recorded under coach Lincoln Riley and represented the smallest crowd at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since 2018, a statistic that underscored the growing concern among Trojans fans.
Contributing to the thin turnout was an oppressive heat wave, with temperatures soaring to 94 degrees Fahrenheit and a heat index near 104, conditions that many spectators found intolerable for a daytime college football event.
Finebaum went further, accusing USC of issuing a statement he believed was generated by artificial intelligence, labeling the response ‘a pile of garbage’ and suggesting the program was more focused on optics than on addressing the underlying issues.
Riley, who left Oklahoma for the USC job, entered the season with lofty expectations, yet the early results have fallen short, leaving the new coach scrambling to rally a fan base that appears increasingly disengaged.
Looking Ahead to Fresno State
The Trojans are slated to host Fresno State at the same venue on September 4 at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, a game that will test whether the program can translate its defensive adjustments into renewed on‑field excitement.
Beyond the immediate matchup, the episode reflects a broader trend of waning interest in college football, especially when extreme weather compounds the challenges faced by programs seeking to rebuild their brand.