It started when the USC Trojans hosted San Jose State in Week 0 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in front of a sparse crowd.The LA area was beset by an unusually hot and humid spell of weather, thanks to remnants of a tropical storm off the West Coast.
Combined with a brutal noon start time that provided no shade or relief throughout the game, the conditions meant there weren’t many fans brave enough, or quite frankly dumb enough, to endure a heat index of roughly 105 degrees.For a game that was decided within minutes of kickoff.That continued into Week 1, with teams like South Carolina and the Texas Longhorns hosting games during the middle of the afternoon sun in extreme heat.
While more fans bought tickets, or even showed up to the stadium, many smartly left as soon as possible.Or in Texas' case, huddled under the concourse in hopes of finding shade.
Some had to be treated for medical conditions like heat exhaustion or dehydration.THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE.DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!USC Trojans mascot Traveller trots through the end zone before a college football game between the USC Trojans and the San Jose State Spartans on Aug.
29, 2026, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Calif.(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)This has sparked debate over the wisdom of scheduling games in the middle of the afternoon, in August or early September, in hotter climates.
Justifiably so.But it also gave rise to one of the more ridiculous contentions you'll ever see, and a near-perfect example of the decline of sportswriting as a profession and the reputation of the Los Angeles Times: blaming it on climate change.In response to a post describing and photographing a large group of Longhorns fans trying to escape the heat at DKR, LA Times assistant managing editor and sports editor Iliana Limon Romero said that programs should change scheduling to "adapt to climate change."DOES USC'S POOR OPENING GAME ATTENDANCE M...