Coliseum tips

[DataUte]

Never been to an @USC game. Will be there on the tail end of a long road trip with the family. It’ll probably be either just me or maybe one kid will want to go.

Any tips? I’ll get a ticket closer to the game, probably after USC loses to ND 😉. Likely will be dropped off – is that possible close by? Any decent stadium food/treats or just standard fare? Tips on ignoring the incessant same fight song played over and over (maybe only OU more annoying)? Spill it all

[The Miami Ute]

Are you going to be wearing Utah gear or dressed as a neutral? Unless you have a ticket specifically on the Visitors’ side, I’d recommend going neutral to avoid the incessant comments from obnoxious USC fans around you. If Utah isn’t competitive in that game, the comments could get ugly.

[DataUte]

I was going to wear my Utah polo and hat and be nice to people around me before the game, compliment them on legit good plays, and outclass any jerks. Easier if I have my kid with me.

Or, maybe I’ll paint my body red, paint my nails woth obscenities and make fun of the condom-men, ask if the horse is neutered, and if their band knows more than 1 song.

I get the sentiment though. I’ve been to a dozen away games with mixed, but generally good results.

[2008 National Champ]

I went to the 2017 game and didn’t have any issues. Got tickets the day before – 45 yard line, about 15 rows up, on the visitors side. They were putting in the new soccer stadium so the parking situation is probably different. We got there about 4pm for a 5:30 start and got great parking in the structure there. Either the structure or soccer stadium parking is under a 10 minute walk.

The home fans get there late, if they show at all so it’s not much of an issue getting in, grabbing some snacks and finding your seats. Most of the concessions are outside the bowl and it’s pretty easy to go up at half-time and restock while still getting back in time for the rest of the game.

The stadium is right by the confluence of the 110, 405 and 105 freeways so it’s actually pretty quick getting out of there, all things considered. I’ve been to places where it’s more than an hour to just get out of the parking lot.

Where we were at, we didn’t have to deal with the student section or band so it was a really nice experience. General banter with the SC fans and no one took anything personally. They complimented every time Zack Moss broke a run and wanted to know how Utah always found no-name RB’s. I said the Utah might as well put Cameron Smith on scholarship since he picked them off so many times. Normal stuff.

[Kellso]

If you can, find a restaurant in Santa Monica. There is a train from there to very near the stadium. You will encounter street preachers with loudspeakers, unfriendly fans and snide comments from their fan base. After three visits recently, one family finally said welcome. I said thank you. Then they said we are supposed to say that. We treated their fans to food and drink when they visited, many times. The band was mostly drowned out by noise and the size of the Colosseum. Enjoyed every trip though. I hope you enjoy and the Utes get the “W”.

[DataUte]

Thanks. We will be visiting Santa Monica Pier (kids want to, I’ve been enough it’s boring), Venice Beach and canals, Koreatown, and definitely getting an ice cream cookie at Diddy Riese near UCLA. We’ll be coming down from Big Bear Fri night after visiting my sister, so can’t do much.

[UtMtBiker]

If they lose to ND… nobody will be at the game so not much to worry about.

[The Miami Ute]

Sounds a lot like Miami.

[DataUte]

Does seem like Miami could be like LA – lots to do, so a little more fair-weather. Especially after that GT debacle – Cristobal has to be on borrowed time, but he’s still owed more than $60M, right? Could see fans abandoning the program pretty quickly.

[The Miami Ute]

Miami is exactly like LA with no mountains, more rain, and more humidity. If you look at their games versus less than stellar competition, you’ll find that half the fans come to the games disguised as empty seats. Like LA, they only support big winners otherwise, as you alluded to, there’s a million other types of entertainment or diversions that people can do.

Cristóbal signed a 10 year – $80M contract in early 2022. So, after this season, he’ll still be owed $64M. Quite a bitter pill to swallow for any program if he was to be canned after this season.

That being said, I think he’s got plenty of leeway. Mario is Cuban in a Cuban dominated city (ethnic politics are a thing back east as I’m sure you know). He was born in Miami, is a Miami grad, and actually turned down a little bit more money from Oregon to go to Miami (I believe Oregon offered him a 10 year – $85M extension in December 2021). He’s also one of the best recruiters in the nation as we’ve seen from his stints in Oregon and Miami.

Bottom line, as long as the team shows progress from year to year, I think that he’ll be fine for a time. However, eventually he’s going to have to deliver the goods (CFP and NCG) otherwise he’ll end up being canned. Finally, get this, the Hurricanes have had eight different full-time HCs since Whitt has been a HC in Utah. Says something for stability.

[BoiseUTE]

We had an awesome time at USC a couple years ago. We Uber to and from Santa Monica / Marina del Rey area. After the game we walked a couple block from the Coliseum and grabbed an Uber back. Worked great for us and had no issues.