No. 14 USC opened its 2026 campaign<\/a> with a 42-26 victory over San Jose State. The Trojans led 28-0 at halftime and pushed the margin to 42-3 before the Spartans scored 23 fourth-quarter points.<\/p>\n Jayden Maiava controlled the offense, USC\u2019s freshmen contributed immediately and Gary Patterson\u2019s defense dominated for three quarters. The Trojans looked capable of justifying their preseason College Football Playoff expectations<\/a>.<\/p>\n The nationally televised view of the stands was less convincing.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n USC announced an attendance of 51,144, but large sections of the 77,500-seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum remained empty at kickoff.<\/p>\n \u201cColiseum looks about one-third full in the late August heat,\u201d California Post reporter Ben Bolch posted on X<\/a> early in the game.<\/p>\n Price was hardly the obstacle. Arash Markazi reported that resale tickets<\/a> had fallen to $6 on TickPick, cheaper than most stadium concessions.<\/p>\n There were reasonable explanations. The game began at noon during a Southern California heat wave, with temperatures in the high 90s and virtually no shade inside the Coliseum. San Jose State was coming off a 3-9 season, while USC entered favored by more than five touchdowns.<\/p>\n Still, Week 0 arrived at an ideal time for USC to command Los Angeles\u2019 attention. The Dodgers were playing in Detroit, the Lakers had not begun training camp, and the Rams and Chargers had yet to start their regular seasons.<\/p>\n Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> USC had a rare opening in the city\u2019s crowded sports calendar. Instead, the turnout reinforced LA\u2019s reputation for waiting until the stakes rise before showing up.<\/p>\n The Trojans averaged 67,783 home fans in 2025, but Riley has acknowledged that their history alone will not fill the Coliseum.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to win. You have to give them something,\u201d Riley said last season.<\/p>\n USC delivered the win Saturday. Upcoming visits from Oregon, Washington and Ohio State should produce different scenes. <\/p>\n For now, the Trojans\u2019 performance supplied optimism while the crowd provided a reminder: Winning back Los Angeles may take longer than beating San Jose State.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/general-overall-view-tiger-squadron-138929993.jpg\")
A general view of the Tiger Squadron flyover during the playing of the national anthem before the game between the Southern California Trojans and the San Jose State Spartans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday, August 29, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Fans](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/fans-usc-trojans-cheer-stands-53332726.jpg\")
Fans of the USC Trojans cheer in the stands before the start of the BCS National Championship Rose Bowl Game between the Trojans and the Texas Longhorns at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2006. Getty Images<\/p>\n