Why USC's home stadium won't sniff any 'toughest places to play' lists

While promoting the first college football video game since 2014, EA Sports gave fans a peek at their 'toughest places to play' list. The list regards the most hostile college football venues for opposing teams. Texas A&M's Kyle Field topped the list, followed by Alabama's Bryant Denney Stadium and LSU's Tiger Stadium. Immediately, fans of all teams listed in the top 25 (and many fans of teams excluded) locked horns.

Of course, USC's Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum doesn't come close to the top of any 'toughest places to play' list. The Coliseum is a historic venue that must be on any college football fan's bucket list. However, the stadium doesn't offer a hostile environment that affords the Trojans a competitive edge.

The LA Memorial Coliseum has terrible acoustics.

Many of us have heard USC fans collectively shout at the tops of their lungs. However, the venue's acoustics are terrible. A 2015 Los Angeles Times article discussed the poor quality of fan noise at the Coliseum.

"The Coliseum is too open, too exposed to hold on to sound... The seating begins too far from the field, and the rake of the seats is too gradual. There is little to reflect the energy of sound waves back into the stadium."

- Elizabeth Valmont, USC football fan

Modern college football stadiums feature seats much closer to the sidelines and seating levels stacked atop one another. Thus, when fans in LSU's "Death Valley" collectively shout, their voices are bounced off layers of concrete and circulate within the bowl design. USC fans have a different dynamic, given the Coliseum's single-tier, steep-angled seats that have no overhead cover.

In other words, crowd noise at Kyle Field is like shouting inside a gymnasium, and crowd noise at the Coliseum is like shouting in an open field.

The Coliseum is too small.

The LA Memorial Coliseum's max capacity is 77,500, including seating for USC football games. This number is underwhelming compared to the capacities of other major college football venues.

Kyle Field seats 102,733 fans, Tiger Stadium holds 102,321 fans, and Bryant Denney Stadium often packs 101,821 people. As such, the Trojans' hopes of a hostile environment are at a 24,000-fan disadvantage. Over the years, there has been much talk of expanding the Coliseum to increase venue capacity.

However, officials prefer preserving the venue instead of disrupting its architectural integrity with modern upgrades.

There are not enough USC night games against rival opponents.

USC's kickoff times are the third consideration regarding the Coliseum's inability to produce a hostile atmosphere for opposing teams.

College football fans are generally more energetic during games under lights. Tailgating and adult beverages have much to do with it, but elaborate in-stadium LED displays are a new norm that makes night games more festive. LSU has worked on installing purple LEDs as part of significant Tiger Stadium upgrades this offseason.

USC only played two home games with a 7:30 PM kickoff last season and three games in 2022. What's worse, USC typically doesn't play its biggest rivals under the lights in the Coliseum. In the previous three seasons, the latest Trojans' kickoff time against UCLA or Notre Dame was 5 PM.

Moving the Big Ten potentially improves the Coliseum atmosphere.

Hopefully, a move to the Big Ten will provide fans with more intense games via stronger opponents. Moreover, USC's new conference will have a network TV schedule demanding more night games in the Coliseum.

The Trojans are already slated to play Utah State and Rutgers with 8 PM kickoff times in 2024. Kickoff times against Wisconsin, Penn State, Nebraska, and Notre Dame will be determined in the weeks before each game.

The Big Ten's TV partners will schedule USC's bigger matchups in time slots depending on numerous factors, including how competitive each team is.