When Lincoln Riley bragged (incorrectly) that attendance has gone up every year he has coached at USC, did he anticipate this year’s attendance average.

USC has a third straight awful opponent, this time at 8 p.m. Saturday, which turns off some fans who don’t want to drive home at 11:30 p.m. So are we looking at another crowd in the 50,000’s?

Even if USC sells out the Oregon and Ohio State games, will that be enough? How many fans are going to see Maryland at the Coliseum?

What will Riley say if attendances decrease for two straight years? Hint: He’ll make an excuse. But he won’t blame his strict desire to play an awful nonconference schedule. He will say it helped make the College Football Playoff so it was worth it.

Given that L.A. Material reported the athletic dept. has lost money, football attendance matters even more.