​LOS ANGELES — This season marked the first year Andrew Gonzales had Southern California football season tickets. He planned to bring his dad, Ronnie, with him to the season opener on Aug. 29, but he told his son no.So Gonzales’ wife went instead – and she ended up outside in the tunnels, needing bags of ice to stay cool.“She was one of thousands,” he told USA TODAY Sports.Gonzalez was part of the relatively small crowd that made it out to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the Week 0 game between USC and San Jose State, only to deal with brutal heat that greatly contributed to why the historic stadium looked empty. The announced attendance for the game was 51,144, but the eye test made it clear it wasn’t anywhere close to that figure.Regardless, it instantly became the story of college football, with people across the country dunking on USC for not drawing in a packed stadium when other blue bloods do it on an every game basis. So it raised a question: what’s going on at USC?To those that have been there for decades, it’s not that deep, as many fans believe it’s a one-off instance with many contributing factors, and the entire country will soon see there’s nothing wrong with the followers of Troy. USA TODAY Sports spoke to more than a dozen fans at the Coliseum ahead of its Week 1 game against Fresno State on Friday, Sept. 4, and only two people said they stayed for the entirety of the win over San Jose State.Mike Suda, a season ticket holder for 50 years, left at the end of the third quarter. Vince Dominguez, season ticket holder since 2001, took off at halftime. For most, they all left for the same reason: the heat. “Brutal,” Dominguez said. “Hottest game I’ve ever been in my life.”The game kicked off at noon local time with the temperature at 94 degrees, but unusually high humidity contributed to a heat index that reached up to 104 degrees. That’s a level the U.S. National Weather Service describes as dangerous, with heat exhaustion and stroke possible with prolonged exposure.Like Gonzales’ wife, there were plenty of people that needed assistance. The Los Angeles Fire Department told USA TODAY Sports it made contact with 15 patients, with one person who was taken to a local hospital.“Twelve o’clock start in August in California,” said 30-year season ticket holder Jeff Williams. “It’s not a smart thing to do.”Greg Terrell, who’s attended games since the 1960s, stayed all the way through, but it helped his seats were in the shade for nearly all of the game. He wasn’t surprised to see others not so fortunate head out early.Every person mentioned the heat was a main factor, and putting it right in the middle of the day didn’t help. However, some people noted not having a high-caliber opponent worsened it. USC played San Jose State as a result of its annual rivalry with Notre Dame falling through.When all those mix, why not stay cool, or do one of the numerous other things possible in Los Angeles? Th