USC's poor attendance for its home season opener against San Jose State has sparked debate over whether head coach Lincoln Riley is already under pressure, though the article argues crowd size is a poor indicator of team quality or playoff prospects. A noon kickoff, heavy Los Angeles traffic, expensive parking, a weak opponent and extreme heat combined to keep fans away, with the stadium emptying further once the outcome was decided early on.

The piece points out that declining attendance is a wider trend across college football, citing examples such as Florida's struggles to fill "The Swamp" for noon games, Clemson failing to sell out any game during their national championship season, and LSU's sparsely filled "Death Valley" in 2025. It attributes the broader decline to factors including greater access to streaming, rising ticket prices and the general cost of living, rather than any reflection of a team's on-field performance.