Lincoln Riley said he doesn’t "buy into the false narrative" regarding the low crowd turnout in USC’s Week 0 win over San Jose State.
On Tuesday, Sept. 1, the Trojans coach addressed the conversation around the game, adding that “people are going to have an opinion” and “it’s part of being a blue blood school.”
”This is USC, right? People are going to pay attention,” he said. “I don't buy into the false narrative. I think that comes from a lot of people that don't follow our program, and most of those who have never stepped foot in the Coliseum. The reality is, during my years here, attendance has gone up every single year, as has our play in the Coliseum, including running the table last year in front of a lot of epic atmospheres, and I expect
that to happen again this year.”
It is the first time Riley has publicly commented about the crowd since the win. After the game, he and players just commented on the hot conditions of the day game.
There has been plenty of discourse surrounding the attendance of USC's game when shots of the stadium at kickoff showed several empty sections. Portions, notably the student section, filled up as the game went on but not anything major. The announced attendance for the game was 51,144, although it didn't appear anywhere close to that figure.
Several factors played into why USC didn't have a packed stadium, noticably the weather. Southern California had been in a brutal stretch of temperatures and unusually high humidity, resulting in worsening outdoor conditions.
The game kicked off at noon local time with the temperature at 94 degrees, and a heat index that reached up to 104 degrees. The U.S. National Weather Service describes that as a dangerous level that can cause heat exhaustion and stroke with prolonged exposure to the conditions, which is why it issued an extreme heat advisory in the Los Angeles region on the day. There is also limited shade in the stands of the Coliseum.
Also not helping was San Jose State not being a marquee opponent, making it a tough sell for people to bear the conditions to watch.
Regardless, it's USC's lowest attendance under Lincoln Riley and lowest since 2018, leading to national outcry that it's a bad look on the Trojans given their status in college football and is an indication of where the program stands despite the factors at play.
The conversation was heightened with USC being the only ranked team to play in Week 0 and the game took place of the canceled rivalry with Notre Dame as neither side could agree on scheduling the series. People also pointed out there are several teams across the country that routinely draw capacity crowds regardless of weather and opponent.
The conversation led to USC releasing a statement on Sunday, Aug. 30 that it "understands the factors that impacted Saturday’s attendance."
"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," it said.
USC is expected to have major crowds on hand during the 2026 season, notably when it hosts No. 2 Oregon on Sept. 26 and No. 1 Ohio State on Oct. 31. In 2025, the Trojans averaged 67,783 attendance, in the top 25 of FBS, and have seen a rise in attendance in Riley’s tenure.
The Trojans start the season with three straight home games, with the next one on Friday, Sept. 4 against Fresno State.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lincoln Riley addresses USC crowd talk: ‘Don’t buy into false narrative’
