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Tips for seeing a game at USC? - cctop - 09-06-2019

As part of my attempt to see a game at every Pac-12 stadium before my son graduates high school, our first road trip this year is to USC.

I had a couple of questions for those who have been to games there:

1) Seats -- I've heard the visitor's section at the Colisuem is poor. Is it generally OK to sit elsewhere in the stadium, or should we stick to being around Stanford fans? If I get seats elsewhere, what row in the Coliseum is too low to get a decent view of the whole field?

2) What to do -- Aside from the Stanford tailgate, are there any must-do events on gameday? I figure we'll walk around campus, and I found this writeup from one of the USC board moderators:
https://wearesc.com/2019-wearesc-travel-guide-game-2-stanford/

All other tips and suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

RE: Tips for seeing a game at USC? - Spiny_Norman - 09-06-2019

cctop - USC has just completed a $500M renovation of the Coliseum. They took out 16,000 seats. It should be a more comfortable experience for the fans. It was pretty cramped before.

However they did not change the basic configuration of the stadium. There still are seats in the open (peristyle) end of the stadium that are 30-40 yards behind the end zone. That is where they have seated the Stanford fans in the past and where we are again this year. When AJ Tarpley recovered the fumble at the end of the 3rd OT in 2011 to clinch that epic game, I had to rely on the video board replay to understand what had happened. We were 150 yards from the action.

I have been in the closed end of the stadium before, among the USC fans. You will have to cheer gently for Stanford. Most fans won't care but you might be in the section with the one jerk who wants to harass you all game. And perhaps worst of all, you will have to listen to everyone jump up and cheer for the Trojan band. You will feel like Henry Jones in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade as he and Indiana watch a Nazi rally in Berlin - "my son, we are pilgrims in an un-holy land." But there certainly are a lot more tickets available on StubHub in the USC sections than the Stanford area.

Still, my experience recently with the USC fans around campus and around the stadium has been pretty benign. They seem to respect Stanford. It has been a number of years since I had an unpleasant experience.

If you have time before the game, take a walk around Exposition Park, adjacent to the stadium. Enjoy the Rose Garden, the Natural History Museum, the California Science Center. Take a look at the brand new Bank of California Stadium where the LA Football Club plays MLS games. Walk around the Coliseum to see the human torso sculptures in front of the peristyle end. Take in the history of a building that has hosted 2 Olympics, NFL football, the Dodgers, and even Billy Graham crusades (the largest crowd in LA history). The big construction project on the west side of the stadium will be the George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. It's an area rich in history.

I'll be working one of the check in roles at the tailgate. Please say Hi. It's always nice to meet Boardies.

Mark May (class of 83)

RE: Tips for seeing a game at USC? - TreeWeird - 09-06-2019

I'm going for the first time since 1977. We were planning to take Metro from S. Monica direction. Any reason to think that would be a problem?

If we do drive from the west, any recommendations for parking?

See you at the tailgate.

RE: Tips for seeing a game at USC? - winflop - 09-06-2019

I was also at the 2011 U$C game but won't be there tomorrow.

The seats are way back in the corner but I'd rather sit in crappy seats with Stanford fans than sit in better seats with people who are going to sing along with that damn band every time they play, which is all the time.

Spending time around the Coliseum is fun, the tailgate. Sadly the band won't be there. In 2011 my son & I went down to Santa Monica Pier for brunch & walked down to Venice Beach in the morning before going to the tailgate.

RE: Tips for seeing a game at USC? - Spiny_Norman - 09-06-2019

The Expo line is absolutely the best way to get to the game. Get off at the Expo Park/USC station which is closest to the Annenberg Building, the location of the tailgate. From Culver City where I live, it is a 20 minute ride. No traffic, no parking hassle.

On the return, you may have to wait a bit in the crowd to get on the west bound train. Or maybe it will be clear in the 4th quarter that Stanford is going to win and the fans will leave early.

RE: Tips for seeing a game at USC? - lex24 - 09-06-2019

Stay away from the friggin horse

RE: Tips for seeing a game at USC? - Hank 91 - 09-06-2019

Here's a sad story -- the only Stanford-USC game in the Coliseum that I've missed in the last 12 years was 2011. I was too lazy, and I was punished.
In my experience, though, sitting in Trojan territory is just fine. Sure, it's fun to sit in the Stanford section, but as Spiny mentions, those seats are soooooo far away. Also, don't worry about being too low. This can be a problem at the Rose Bowl, but the last few times we've sat as low as rows 5-10 behind the Stanford bench. The sight lines are good, and it's actually fun to be that close to the action and that close to the team.

RE: Tips for seeing a game at USC? - Spiny_Norman - 09-06-2019

One more pro tip - allow plenty of time to get through security. Two years ago, there were fans who did not make it into the stadium until well into the 1st quarter because the line was so long.

RE: Tips for seeing a game at USC? - PAsportsfan - 09-06-2019

Try and sit at the 50 or there abouts behind the team bench. Your son will appreciate a low row, that's where all the cool kids sit. Prices are low on Stubhub.

Try and welcome the Stanford team as they get off the bus behind section 312. I think they leave the hotel two hours before kickoff or arrive two before kickoff, can't remember which. There will be Stanford fans waiting, most likely players families, ask them for the correct arrival time.

RE: Tips for seeing a game at USC? - GoodGrief - 09-06-2019

If you take the metro home, when you get on the train platform, walk all the way to the very end. People seem to stop walking and congregate en masse about 3/4 of the way down the platform. But if you keep on walking past that really crowded area, you may find that at the very end of the train platform, there is plenty of room left

RE: Tips for seeing a game at USC? - TreeWeird - 09-09-2019

(09-06-2019, 08:46 AM)Spiny_Norman Wrote:  The Expo line is absolutely the best way to get to the game. Get off at the Expo Park/USC station which is closest to the Annenberg Building, the location of the tailgate. From Culver City where I live, it is a 20 minute ride. No traffic, no parking hassle.

On the return, you may have to wait a bit in the crowd to get on the west bound train. Or maybe it will be clear in the 4th quarter that Stanford is going to win and the fans will leave early.

Unfortunately, our return trip on Metro Expo line was a breeze for the wrong reason.

Thanks to all for the advice.