Even nine-dollar tickets could not convince fans to fill the stands for the USC Trojans’ season opener against San Jose State on August 29. Walking into the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, you would expect a roaring crowd, but instead, thousands of empty red seats dominated the view.

The historic blue-blood program has endured several disappointing seasons without reaching the College Football Playoff. Now, as new programs step into top-tier football with packed houses, USC faces tough questions about fan engagement.

Meanwhile, over 1,400 miles away in Fargo, North Dakota State was making history. The Bison officially kicked off their transition from FCS powerhouse to FBS football, hosting Jacksonville State for their Week 0 debut on August 29. It was a massive moment built on a gamble: spending $17 million just to step up to college football’s top division.

A viral video online showed a striking contrast between both stadiums. While Trojan supporters sat thinly spread across the massive Memorial Coliseum, the Fargodome was packed to its maximum 18,700 capacity, selling out every single seat as Bison fans celebrated their first game in the FBS. 

Fans in the comments highlighted the concerning matter of fact that USC might choose to ignore: irrelevance. “USC is clearly becoming a has-been within the sport. They can turn it around, but the last decade is a bad trend for a “blueblood,”” a fan commented.

For North Dakota State, making this move required serious financial backing. Transitioning up to the FBS cost the program around $17 million, which included a $5 million application fee to the NCAA and roughly $12.5 million to join the Mountain West Conference for football. Looking at the crowded stands, school leaders can feel confident that their investment is already paying off.

Once, and still, a name of high prestige, the Trojans have found themselves at a new low. Despite low ticket pricing, fans were a no-show on August 29. Led by Lincoln Riley, they were met with cricket noises instead of roaring fans cheering for their first game of the season.

However, one fan disagreed. “There are more people at USC than NDSU in these videos,” they wrote. This video in question was captioned “There’s levels to diehard sports fandom,” and credited to Bryan Fisher, a Sports Illustrated writer. The difference is for everyone to see, even if loyal USC fans deny it. 

The Bisons breezed through their Week 0 game against Jacksonville State in a 33-7 victory. This stunning debut will undoubtedly go down in school history. “If NDS had a stadium the size of USC it’d sell it out too,” one Bisons fan remarked the Bisons are capable of pulling bigger numbers. 

The Coliseum’s seating capacity is 77,500, and the humble FargoDome can host 18,700 fans. North Dakota State’s fanbase had been a talking point for another reason: the sheer dedication to football despite the weather. 

“And the NDSU fans probably had to endure -40 degree temperatures to get to the game,” a comment read. One of the Trojans fans, however, discredited the Bisons and their supporters. 

“This is literally the only thing to do in North Dakota; the whole state is most likely there, the USC game was a MF scrimmage pipe down we have real thing to do in LA on a hot sunny day lmao but still Fight on (emoji) SC,” they posted.

Regardless, the Trojans dominated on the field, and perhaps some fans wished they could have seen it in person. 

Lincoln Riley’s Comments On His Team’s Performance 

Saturday’s game against the San Jose State Spartans ended in the Trojans’ favor. They were off to a good start and eventually won 42- 26. At halftime, they were 28-0. They were slow and sloppy in the second half, comparatively. The fourth quarter looked awful as the Spartans pulled off three touchdown drives.

“First three quarters, a lot of really good football out there,” head coach Riley said. “Fourth quarter, not up to our standards.”

Off to a positive start, the Trojans still have much to achieve in Riley’s fifth season. Whether they score big and reassure fans or lose momentum will be interesting to see.