The Stadium That Felt Empty
USC football looked like a ghost town this past weekend. The Trojans beat San Jose State 42-26, but nobody cared about the score. Everyone was staring at the empty seats in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. A reported 51,144 fans showed up, yet the stadium capacity sits at 77,500. That gap is massive and it looks even worse in person.
Social media users are not letting this slide. They say the crowd looked barren in several sections. Some people even claimed the attendance count included venue workers just to pad the numbers. It looks like a spring game rather than a national powerhouse opener. The Trojans lost their shine before the season even really started.
Nick Watts and the Crowd Roast
Nick Watts broke the story about the attendance numbers on social media. He reported that the crowd size was simply inexcusable for a national brand. Watts pointed out that the empty sections looked much worse than the official count suggested. He noted that people are making excuses like “They’re at the beach” or “Class hasn’t started.”
Watts said those excuses do not matter because the visual evidence is clear. He viewed the attendance as a clear indicator of future developments ahead. The Trojans need to fix this image problem immediately. If they cannot fill the stadium for a Week 0 game, the future looks bleak. The visual of the empty stands hurts the program more than a loss would.
Stewart Mandel joined the criticism by comparing the crowd to a spring game. He tweeted that he did not realize USC held its spring game on a Saturday night. The photos Mandel shared show multiple empty sections that prove his point. It is hard to believe over 50,000 people were in the stands when the view looks so sparse. The lack of energy in the stadium is a major problem.
Chad Fisher also weighed in with a sarcastic take on the attendance. He noted that USC had more fans than the 694 people he joked were there. Fisher highlighted the low excitement around the team despite the hype for the year. The gap between the marketing and the reality is too wide. Fans are starting to question if the program is actually on the rise.
Why This Hurts the Program
USC needs to stop making excuses and start selling tickets. A national brand cannot afford to look this weak in its own backyard. The empty seats send a message to recruits and sponsors that the program is struggling. Money talks in college sports, and a sparse crowd means less revenue for the athletic department. The payout to San Jose State might not have been worth the embarrassment.
The optics are terrible for a team that expects to win national titles. Fans pay good money to sit in a stadium that feels half empty. When the crowd looks like a spring game, it kills the atmosphere completely. This is not just a bad night; it is a warning sign for the entire season. The administration must address this before it gets worse.
Other teams will use this against USC during recruiting. High school players want to see a loud, packed stadium. They do not want to play in front of thousands of empty seats. The Trojans have the talent to fill the stands, but they are failing to get the fans out. This is a marketing failure as much as a fan engagement issue.
The focus now shifts to Notre Dame as they prepare for their own big test. The Fighting Irish are set to face Wisconsin in a massive primetime showdown. This game will kick off the season for the Badgers on the Sunday night of Week 1. Notre Dame enters the matchup as the No. 4 team with a Heisman candidate quarterback.
Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell knows his team must make Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr uncomfortable. The Badgers need to crank up the heat on Carr to force mistakes. Their secondary has improved, but the pass rush is the key to winning this game. If Carr has time to sit back in the pocket, Wisconsin does not stand much of a chance.
The odds have Notre Dame favored by 20.5 points, which feels generous to some observers. The Irish have the offseason hype and the “leave no doubt” narrative after missing the playoff. This matchup will define the early part of the 2026 season for both programs. The game is scheduled for Sunday night, and the pressure is already high.
