Los Angeles, the City of Angels, is known for its glitz, glamour, and, unfortunately, its infamous traffic. With major sporting and entertainment events converging all at once, Mayor Karen Bass has kicked off a citywide effort to manage the expected traffic chaos. Even with all the buzz and hype, the turnout for one event—USC’s football game against Rutgers—was surprisingly underwhelming.

Despite the excitement surrounding the game, attendance at the LA Coliseum was low. Kendell Hollowell pointed this out in an X post on October 26, saying, “Attendance at the LA Coliseum is low tonight with the Dodgers and Lakers also playing at home tonight #USC.” It seems the crowd had their priorities elsewhere.

Most of the traffic and fan energy appeared to be focused on the Dodgers’ matchup with the Yankees at Dodger Stadium—marking their first clash since 1981. Shohei Ohtani, the superstar pitcher, has proven to be a major draw, packing the stadium. At the same time, the Lakers were drawing fans to Crypto.com Arena, where LeBron James, the living legend of basketball, was in action against the Phoenix Suns. Given the star power behind these events, it’s no surprise that many fans were drawn to these games instead.

To put things into perspective, the Dodgers announced their seventh sellout of the postseason with 52,394 fans in attendance for Game 1 against the Yankees. Meanwhile, the crowd at the LA Coliseum for the USC vs. Rutgers game was only around 30,000, according to media reports. With the stadium’s official capacity sitting at over 77,000, the Trojans didn’t even hit half of that.

It’s a sharp contrast to USC’s previous games. Just a few weeks ago, 75,250 fans packed the Coliseum to watch USC take on Penn State. That was the biggest crowd the stadium had seen since November 2017, when 82,407 fans attended the USC vs. UCLA showdown. Still, there’s a silver lining—despite lower attendance, the Dodgers, Lakers, and USC all walked away with victories on Friday night.

So, is the low turnout at the USC game entirely because of competing events like the Dodgers and Lakers games, or are other factors at play?

USC Trojans win despite the early embarrassment

Traffic in LA is never easy, but Friday night was particularly brutal. In addition to the Dodgers and Lakers playing at home, several other major events were happening across the city. David Gilmour of Pink Floyd performed at the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, while the East LA Classic football matchup between Roosevelt and Garfield high schools took place at SoFi Stadium. ELO also performed at the Kia Forum, adding even more traffic headaches.

All of these events happening simultaneously might have kept fans away from the Coliseum. But despite the lower-than-expected turnout, the USC Trojans still came out on top. After a rough patch that saw them drop three straight games, the Trojans desperately needed a win—and they got it with a 42-20 victory over Rutgers.

USC started strong, but Rutgers put up a fight, threatening to turn things around. Fans—who have become familiar with late-game collapses—were likely holding their breath. Fortunately, quarterback Miller Moss and the Trojan offense stepped up when it mattered most, sealing the victory. Even without a packed stadium, Lincoln Riley and his team seem determined to turn the season around. And with a victory under their belt, they’ve got their eyes on the road ahead—no matter how crazy the LA traffic gets.