Almost every school releases a total attendance figure after its game. In most cases, those numbers are often inflated as they count the number of tickets sold, guests of the program, recruits, and many other aspects. But did the UCLA inflate that number way too much? Here’s the thing: They lost, 10-35, to New Mexico at the Rose Bowl in front of 31,123 fans in attendance. However, one look at how sparsely filled the stadium was suggests that the 31,123 number might not be the reality.

On September 12, reporter Jacob Davis tweeted, “I don’t think this type of on-field performance combined with fan support is sustainable moving forward at #UCLA. Pitiful showing so far through 2.5 games.” The tweet was accompanied by a picture of the stadium where many seats were empty. And as reported by ‘BroBible’, the real attendance figures would be around 15,000. That’s shocking considering the stadium has a capacity of more than 90,000 fans. But would it really be surprising to know that the numbers reported by the school were inflated?

Earlier this month, LA Times’ Ben Bolch reported that the school includes tickets distributed (also the freebies), non-ticketed individuals like the players, coaches, staff members, vendors, cheerleaders, band members, performers, and even media, while reporting the attendance numbers. This pushed the school’s numbers to more than double the scan count, as per the numbers obtained by the LA Times through a public records request.

Remember UCLA’s 2022 home opener against Bowling Green? The attendance reported by the school was 27,143, which was a record low for the team since they moved to the Rose Bowl before the 1982 season. However, the actual numbers were even lower. The scan count, which represents people who entered the stadium (yes, it includes non-ticketed and credentialed individuals), was around 12,383. And the scan count for their next game was a bit higher. 14,093.

What was even more heartbreaking about the empty seats during the New Mexico game was the fact that tickets were being sold for as little as $8. That was the aftermath of going 0-2 in their first two games against Utah and UNLV. And after their loss to New Mexico, UCLA sits at 0-3. The program is also 0-2 at home.

Sure, empty seats are a buzzkill, but they also point towards lost revenue. The program generated $11.6 million in football ticket revenue during the most recent fiscal year. That is almost 50% less than the $20 million revenue they got in 2014. Back then, the program would average as many as 76,650 fans at the stadium.

Also, the declining interest has been worse in the last five seasons. But here is where it gets even worse.

UCLA versus New Mexico: How much did the Bruins pay?

It is a nightmare season for UCLA. They didn’t look prepared to play in three consecutive weeks, and against New Mexico, they were sloppy on both sides of the ball. “It’s pretty low right now,” head coach DeShaun Foster said about the program. “I’ve been around this program for a long time, and it’s just unfortunate what’s going on at this moment. Just not executing.”

The Bruins gave up as many as 450 yards. And 298 of those came on the ground against a program that averaged 6.5 yards per carry. Their game against New Mexico was supposed to be the easiest one this season. Regardless, these stats aren’t even the worst setback. The school will have to pay New Mexico $1.2 million, according to the game contract between the schools.

Both sides agreed to this contract in 2016, for just one game. The payment needs to be made by April 1, 2026. Interestingly, it is the same amount that UCLA is paying QB Nico Iamaleava as part of his NIL deal after he transferred from Tennessee.