The USC Trojans made one of the biggest comebacks in history, bouncing back from a 14-point deficit in the first half against Iowa, but all fans could talk about was their seating arrangement. The moment the picture of the obstructed-view seat went viral, fans started flooding social media with memes, jokes, and outrage. Things escalated to a point that USC’s AD had to step in to settle the fuss.

With a 77,500 capacity, LA Memorial Stadium is among the most hostile environments to play in. But this time, the only concern was their obstructed-view seat limiting fans from gaining the entire experience of the game, which made instant buzz online. Turns out, those seats are not for sale after all. AD Cody Worsham explained it, taking a sarcastic jab at fans: “We don’t sell these seats, but if anyone wants to buy one to engage the farm, we will take the revenue 😂.”

It all started back in 2023 when a USC fan’s post went viral after discovering the worst obstructed view seat during the USC vs. San Jose State game. The seat is located at Section 303, Row 14, Seat 10, with almost no visibility of the field, making it tough for anyone to even watch 2% of the game. This problem came in after LA Memorial Coliseum added a new press box after renovation, removing 15k seats, but couldn’t do anything about the seats, which were behind it. And the result? The view got limited to just one end zone.

Well, the man behind digging out these obstructed view places at the college football stadium is Michael Barker, who’s a California real estate agent. Back in 2018, when he bought a $250 ticket for the Washington State vs. Oregon game, he missed a touchdown during the game after a massive light pole blocked his view. Since then, frustrated Barker decided to warn fans about such seating locations and turned it into a personal mission. That’s how USC’s weird spot came to light.

For instance, last year, in October, Barker visited Indiana’s Memorial Stadium and pointed out seats under the press box where he could just see 64% of the field. Similarly, in November last year, he visited Ohio State when the Buckeyes took on Michigan State. There, he could see only one end zone, with just about 8% field visibility. But the 2% visibility at the LA Memorial Stadium looks like the worst of them.

Now, fans might go on ranting about the sitting area, but the real test lies before Lincoln Riley and his team, as after Iowa’s win, they will have to win both of their remaining games. Winning against UCLA is not a big deal, but one loss against Oregon can hurt their playoff chances. The worst part? They already hold a low 17.9% chance of making it to the playoffs, as per ESPN.

With that, another stress hit Lincoln Riley.

Lincoln Riley’s team faces major injury scare ahead of Oregon game

Lincoln Riley’s team did come up strong against Iowa, making their resume strong for the playoffs. But they lost their key starters before one of their crucial games of the season against Oregon. USC safety Kamari Ramsey left the game in the first quarter after breaking up a deep pass. Trainers diagnosed a right knee injury, and even Ramsey was seen working on a stationary bike but remained out of the game.

After his exit, Christian Pierce took over, but soon after, Ramsey’s defensive tackle Keeshawn Silver was out with a left arm injury and went straight into the medical tent and didn’t return. Then, Lincoln Riley’s team takes the third hit of the night when offensive lineman Elijah Paige suffers a right leg injury as trainers assist him off the field. But then he came back in with a brace on his left leg for extra safety. This forced Tobis Raymond to move to left tackle and Kaylon Miller to take guard duties.

After losing multiple starters due to injury, Lincoln Riley’s defense did allow long passes and chunks of runs in the first half, but after halftime, they held Iowa to just 108 yards. Even on offense, they made big plays with Jayden Maiava and Makai Lemon’s chemistry. Let’s wait and see if the Trojans are able to continue the same momentum against Oregon without their key starters or not.