The biggest issue facing USC and UCLA football isn’t some mystery. It’s right there in front of everyone.
The Trojans opened their season Saturday with a 42-26 win over San José State at the Memorial Coliseum, but the scene around the game said plenty: a widely remarked upon fractional crowd, and brutal heat. Then on Monday, UCLA moved on from athletic director Martin Jarmond and pointed to financial challenges in making the change.
Put those together and the picture gets pretty clear. Whatever the old image of college football in Los Angeles used to be, this is not it.
USC’s teams once showed up in movies like The Godfather Part II, Die Hard and The Sopranos, and the band was playing on Tusk. The current Trojans probably don’t remember that era, and many of their parents likely don’t either.
A lot of theories have been tossed around to explain why USC and UCLA have been stuck in place. Some blame the city’s politics.
Some point to the teams not winning enough. Some say Los Angeles simply has too many distractions.
Some insist the city just doesn’t care about football. But that last one misses the point.
The issue is not that Los Angeles doesn’t love football. It’s that Los Angeles now has other football choices.
You can see the shift by looking back at 2015, the last fall before the NFL returned to Los Angeles. It wasn’t even a great year for either school.
USC came in ranked No. 8 and finished 8-6. UCLA started No. 13, went 8-5, and ended the season unranked.
Still, the Trojans averaged 75,358 fans at home that year. The Bruins drew 66,858, and they did it without bringing in any current Big Ten or SEC opponent.
A year later, the Rams were back from St. Louis, and the change was immediate.
USC’s attendance dropped to 68,459, with the Rams also playing in the Memorial Coliseum at the time. UCLA’s attendance actually rose a bit to 67,459.
But the bigger point is what happened next: the NFL slowly pulled casual fans of big-time football away from the college game, and the Trojans and Bruins didn’t adjust fast enough.
Then the Chargers arrived from San Diego in 2017, adding another pro option for football fans in the area. In 2018, the Rams won the NFC title. After that, the shiny new home at SoFi Stadium became the place where celebrities went to be seen.
For UCLA, that mattered a lot. SoFi Stadium is about 13 miles from Westwood by car, while the Rose Bowl is about 27.
In a city built around driving, that difference matters. If you’re a UCLA student looking for a weekend football outing, the closer option has a natural edge.
The same kind of pressure has shown up before in another city. New York once had a crowded college football scene, with Columbia, Fordham, Manhattan and NYU all drawing crowds in the early 20th century.
Army and Notre Dame also brought major attention when they played there. But after World War II, the car and television reshaped the sports landscape.
The Dodgers and Giants left, historic college venues like Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds lost their footing, and pro football took over more of the city’s loyalty. The Giants and Jets became the dominant teams, and after the 1981 season, Columbia and the Ivy League stepped away from Division I-A.
USC and UCLA are not heading for FCS. Los Angeles still has plenty of football talent and plenty of people who care about the sport.
But as long as the Rams and Chargers are around, the Trojans and Bruins are competing in a much tougher market than they used to. In this city, the message is simple: win the attention economy or get squeezed by it.
In Other News...
USCs Week 0 Numbers Hint At Something Bigger On Offense
USCs season opener left behind more than a win, it also offered an early statistical snapshot that suggests this offense may already be tracking toward something more dangerous. Jayden Maiavas efficiency stood out right away, with the quarterback setting a completion percentage record in his debut as the starter, while true freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley made his first college game look far less ordinary than most opening nights for an 18-year-old.
There is still plenty to sort out, especially on the other side of the ball, but the broader picture from Week 0 was hard to miss. USC showed up in the national and Big Ten rankings in ways that reflect real production, and the number of true freshmen in the starting lineup only added to the sense that this group is still getting its footing while already flashing a higher ceiling than a typical early-season team. [Read more 🡒]
Kirk Herbstreit Just Called Out USC Fans Over A Growing Problem
USCs home opener brought the kind of spotlight the program usually expects, but not the kind of crowd it wanted. ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit took aim at the Trojans fan support after the stadium was only about half full, despite USC coming in ranked 14th nationally and trying to position itself for a run at the conference title.
Herbstreits criticism also pointed beyond the stands and toward the broader picture around the program, including the schools response to the disappointing turnout. For a team trying to build momentum early, the scene served as a reminder that success on the field does not always guarantee the atmosphere around it, and USC has some work to do to turn home games back into the kind of event that matches the expectations. [Read more 🡒]
USC May Have Found A Freshman Lincoln Riley Can Trust Early
USC did not have to wait long to find out what Mark Bowman could offer. The freshman tight end started in the season opener against San Jos State and spent most of his night doing the unglamorous work that helps an offense function, especially as a run blocker. For a player with Bowmans recruiting profile and a high school rsum that drew plenty of attention, the early role says a lot about how quickly he has adapted to the college game.
Landon Tengwall noted Bowmans advanced physical development and the kind of blocking skills that can earn a young player trust fast, and that matters in Lincoln Rileys offense. Bowman also chipped in three catches for 15 yards, but his bigger value may come from what he does before the ball ever reaches him. If USC is going to lean on its ground game early, Bowman already looks like someone the staff is comfortable putting on the field. [Read more 🡒]