It's no secret, most of us would like to stay in our own home as we age. Yet, sometimes our loved ones just need a little extra help to remain comfortable at home. That's where Always Best Care can help....we are dedicated to exceeding expectations....always.
They say that your golden years are the best years of your life. For most older Americans, that's how it should be - a time to relax, reflect, and live life in a familiar place. After all, senior citizens in the U.S. have worked tirelessly to build a better economy, serve their communities, and raise families.
However, as seniors grow older, completing daily tasks like showering and enjoying activities such as visiting Riley County Historical Museum in Riley, IN gets harder without someone by their side. Unfortunately, many older Americans aren't able to rely on their adult children for help. The reality in today's world is that family members do not have the skills or time to dedicate to caring for their parents. That's where Always Best Care Senior Services comes in.
Our in-home care services are for people who prefer to stay at home as they grow older but need ongoing care that family or friends cannot provide. More and more older adults prefer to live far away from long-term, institutionalized facilities and closer to the place where they feel most comfortable - their home. Home care in Riley, IN is a safe, effective way to give your loved ones the care they need when they need it the most.
Home Care Services
Service AreasSince 1996, Always Best Care has provided non-medical in-home care for seniors to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle as they get older. We are proud to have helped more than 25,000 seniors maintain higher levels of dignity and respect. We focus on providing seniors with the highest level of in-home care available so that they may live happily and independently.
Unlike some senior care companies, we genuinely want to be included in our clients' lives. We believe that personalized care is always the better option over a "one size fits all" approach. To make sure our senior clients receive the best care possible, we pair them with compassionate caregivers who understand their unique needs. That way, they may provide care accordingly without compromising their wellbeing.
The Always Best Care difference lies in life's little moments - where compassionate care and trustworthy experience come together to help seniors live a fruitful, healthy life. Whether you are an aging adult that can't quite keep up with life's daily tasks or the child of a senior who needs regular in-home services, Always Best Care is here to help.
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“Great staff!! Caring people!”
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“Working for Always Best Care has been very rewarding for me to help others in need. Whatever my questions may be or any help I need as a health care provider for my client they have always came through with help.”
“Very compassionate caregivers!”
“Great staff. Well trained and kind people.”
“The Beache’s Family are great people and I would trust my mom’s well- bean in their hands”
“Natalia has experience taking care of people with Alzheimer and I would be very trust my dad’s safety if they taking care of him.”
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“Mr. and Mrs. Beach are the owners of this location, and they are some of the most caring and dedicated people I have ever met. They truly want to help people get the best care for their loved ones. My grandmother would have loved to have care like this.”
Home is where the heart is. While that saying can sound a tad cliche, it is especially true for many seniors living in America. When given a choice, older adults most often prefer to grow older at home. An AARP study found that three out of four adults over the age of 50 want to stay in their homes and communities as they age.
When you begin to think about why, it makes sense. Home offers a sense of security, comfort, and familiarity.
The truth is, as we age, we begin to rely on others for help. When a family is too busy or lives too far away to fulfill this role, in-home senior care is often the best solution. Home care services allow seniors to enjoy personal independence while also receiving trustworthy assistance from a trained caregiver.
At Always Best Care, we offer a comprehensive range of home care services to help seniors stay healthy while they get the help they need to remain independent. As your senior loved one gets older, giving them the gift of senior care is one of the best ways to show your love, even if you live far away.
To give our senior clients the best care possible, we offer a full spectrum of in-home care services:
If your senior loved one has specific care needs, our personal care services are a great choice to consider. Personal care includes the standard caregiving duties associated with companion care and includes help with tasks such as dressing and grooming. Personal care can also help individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes.
Common personal care services include assistance with:
Sometimes, seniors need helpful reminders to maintain a high quality of life at home. If you or your senior has trouble with everyday tasks like cooking, our home helper services will be very beneficial.
Common home helper care services include assistance with:
Using this kind of care is a fantastic way to make life easier for you or your senior loved one. At Always Best Care, our talented caregivers often fill the role of a companion for seniors. That way, older adults can enjoy their favorite local activities, such as visiting Riley Park Splash Pad in Riley, IN with friends while also receiving the care they need daily or weekly.
Common companionship services include:
According to AARP, more than 53 million adults living in the U.S. provide care to someone over 50 years old. Unfortunately, these caregivers experience stress, exhaustion, and even depression. Our respite care services help family caregivers address urgent obligations, spend time with their children, and enjoy nearby activities. Perhaps more importantly, respite care gives family members time to recharge and regroup. Taking personal time to de-stress reduces the risk of caregiver burnout. So, if you've always wanted to eat at the local Eddie Merlot's or visit Goodnow House State Historic Site, don't feel bad. Doing so is great for both you and your loved one.
At the end of the day, our goal is to become a valuable part of your senior's daily routine. That way, we may help give them the highest quality of life possible. We know that staying at home is important for your loved one, and we are here to help make sure that is possible.
If you have been on the fence about non-medical home care, there has never been a better time than now to give your senior the care, assistance, and companionship they deserve.
Always Best Care in-home services are for older adults who prefer to stay at home but need ongoing care that friends and family cannot provide. In-home care is a safe, effective way for seniors to age gracefully in a familiar place and live independent, non-institutionalized lives. The benefits of non-medical home care are numerous. Here are just a few reasons to consider senior care services from Always Best Care:
According to AARP, 9 out of 10 seniors prefer to age in place within the comfort of their own home. With in-home care, seniors have a way to stay at home, receive the care they need, and maintain a sense of independence, improving overall wellness.
If you or a member of your family have assumed the role of caregiver for your senior loved one, you know how stressful the job can be. Between caregiver burnout and constant worry, being a family caregiver is hard. In-home care relieves your burden and gives you peace of mind knowing that your older family member is in expert hands.
Unlike nursing homes, where the staff and residents rotate frequently, seniors can foster new friendships and build bonds with their caregiver. Seniors who socialize on a regular basis are often happier, which fosters positivity and leads to increased wellbeing.
No two seniors need the same kind of in-home care assistance. That is why each of our Care Plans is tailored to meet our client's individual needs. We offer plans that cover everything from light housekeeping to more involved duties like transportation to doctor's appointments. Our Care Coordinators will work closely with you to develop a personalized plan to ensure your senior's needs are exceeded.
Always Best Care offers a full array of care options for patients at all levels of health. With our trusted elderly care services, your loved one will receive the level of care necessary for them to enjoy the highest possible quality of life.
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While it's true that some seniors have complicated medical needs that prevent them from staying at home, aging in place is often the best arrangement for seniors and their families. With a trusted caregiver, seniors have the opportunity to live with a sense of dignity and do so as they see fit - something that is unavailable to many older people today.
In-home care makes it possible for millions of seniors to age in place every year. Rather than moving to a strange nursing home, seniors have the chance to stay at home where they feel the happiest and most comfortable.
How much does a senior's home truly mean to them?
A study published by the American Society on Aging found that more than half of seniors say their home's emotional value means more than how much their home is worth in monetary value. It stands to reason, then, that a senior's home is where they want to grow old.
With the help of elderly care in Riley, IN, seniors don't have to age in a sterilized care facility. Instead, they can age gracefully in the place they want to be most: their home. In contrast, seniors who move to a long-term care facility must adapt to new environments, new people, and new systems that the facility implements. At this stage in life, this kind of drastic change can be more harmful than helpful.
Institutional care facilities like nursing homes often put large groups of people together to live in one location. On any given day, dozens of staff members and caregivers run in and out of these facilities. Being around so many new people in a relatively small living environment can be dangerous for a seniors' health and wellbeing. When you consider that thousands of seniors passed away in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting for in-home care is often a safer, healthier choice for seniors.
Aging in place has been shown to improve seniors' quality of life, which helps boost physical health and also helps insulate them from viral and bacterial risks found in elderly living facilities.
For many seniors, the ability to live independently with assistance from a caregiver is a priceless option. With in-home care, seniors experience a higher level of independence and freedom - much more so than in other settings like a nursing home. When a senior has the chance to age in place, they get to live life on their own terms, inside the house that they helped make into a home. More independence means more control over their personal lives, too, which leads to increased levels of fulfillment, happiness, and personal gratification. Over time, these positive feelings can manifest into a healthier, longer life.
More independence, a healthier life, and increased comfort are only a few benefits of aging in place. You have to take into consideration the role of cost and convenience. Simply put, it's usually easier and more affordable to help seniors age in place than it is to move them into an institutional care facility. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, seniors who age in the comfort of their homes can save thousands of dollars per month.
In-home care services from Always Best Care, for instance, are often less expensive than long-term solutions, which can cost upwards of six figures per year. To make matters worse, many residential care facilities are reluctant to accept long-term care insurance and other types of payment assistance.
With Always Best Care's home care services, seniors and their families have a greater level of control over their care plans. In-home care gives seniors the chance to form a bond with a trusted caregiver and also receive unmatched care that is catered to their needs. In long-term care facilities, seniors and their loved ones have much less control over their care plan and have less of a say in who provides their care.
In-home care is a valuable resource that empowers seniors to age in place on their own terms. However, a big concern for many families and their loved ones is how much in-home care costs. If you're worried that in-home care is too expensive, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is one of the most affordable senior care arrangements available.
Typically, hiring an Always Best Care in-home caregiver for a few hours a week is more affordable than sending your loved one to a long-term care facility. This is true even for seniors with more complex care needs.
At Always Best Care, we will work closely with you and your family to develop a Care Plan that not only meets your care needs, but your budget requirements, too. Once we discover the level of care that you or your senior need, we develop an in-home care plan that you can afford.
In addition to our flexible care options, families should also consider the following resources to help offset potential home care costs:
When you or your senior loved one needs assistance managing daily tasks at home, finding a qualified caregiver can be challenging. It takes a special kind of person to provide reliable care for your senior loved one. However, a caregiver's role involves more than meal preparation and medication reminders. Many seniors rely on their caregivers for companionship, too.
Our companion care services give seniors the chance to socialize in a safe environment and engage in activities at home. These important efforts boost morale and provide much-needed relief from repetitive daily routines. A one-on-one, engaging conversation can sharpen seniors' minds and give them something in which to be excited.
At Always Best Care, we only hire care providers that we would trust to care for our own loved ones. Our senior caregivers in Riley, IN understand how important it is to listen and communicate with their seniors. A seemingly small interaction, like a short hug goodbye, can make a major difference in a senior's day. Instead of battling against feelings of isolation, seniors begin to look forward to seeing their caregiver each week.
Understanding the nuances of senior care is just one of the reasons why our care providers are so great at their job.
Unlike some senior care companies, our caregivers must undergo extensive training before they work for Always Best Care. In addition, our caregivers receive ongoing training throughout the year. This training ensures that their standard of care matches up to the high standards we've come to expect. During this training, they will brush up on their communication skills, safety awareness, and symptom spotting. That way, your loved one receives the highest level of non-medical home care from day one.
While it's true that many seniors prefer to age at home, sometimes in-home care isn't the best fit. For those seniors and their families, choosing an assisted living facility makes more sense. Unfortunately, finding the optimal care facility is easier said than done in today's day and age. That's when Always Best Care's assisted living referral services begin to make a lot of sense.
Assisted living is a form of housing intended for seniors who require varying degrees of medical and personal attention. Accommodations may include single rooms, apartments, or shared living arrangements. Assisted living communities are typically designed to resemble a home-like environment and are physically constructed to encourage the independence of residents.
At assisted living communities, seniors receive help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and eating. They may also benefit from coordination of services with outside healthcare providers, and monitoring of resident activities to ensure their health, safety, and well-being. Caregivers who work at assisted living communities can also provide medication administration and personal care services for older adults.
Other services offered within assisted living communities can include some or all of the following:
At Always Best Care, our representatives can match your senior's emotional, physical, and financial needs with viable assisted living communities nearby. Results are based on comparative data, so you can select the best choice for you or your loved one.
Always Best Care works closely with local senior living communities to gain valuable knowledge that we then use to help seniors and their loved ones make informed decisions. This information can include basic care and rent, resident availability, and services provided. Because Always Best Care is compensated by these communities, we provide senior living referral services at no extra cost to you.
Some of the most popular assisted living communities to consider in our area include the following:
For many seniors, moving into a senior living community revolves around how and when they want to make a transition to more involved care. Some seniors are more proactive about transitioning to independent living. Others choose to remain home until their care needs or other requirements are satisfied. Remember - our staff is here to help. Contact our office today to learn more about assisted living communities and how we can find a facility that exceeds your expectations.
The first step in getting quality in-home care starts with a personal consultation with an experienced Always Best Care Care Coordinator. This initial consultation is crucial for our team to learn more about you or your elderly loved one to discover the level of care required. Topics of this consultation typically include:
A discussion of your needs and how our trained caregivers can offer assistance in the most effective way
A draft of your care plan, which includes highly detailed notes and a framework for the care that you or your senior will receive
Discuss payment options and help coordinate billing with your insurance provider
Our caregivers are trained to spot changes that clients exhibit, like mental and physical decline. As your trusted senior care company, we will constantly assess and update your Care Plan to meet any new emotional, intellectual, physical, and emotional needs.
If you have never considered in-home care before, we understand that you and your family may have concerns about your Care Plan and its Care Coordinator. To help give you peace of mind, know that every team member and caregiver must undergo comprehensive training before being assigned to a Care Plan.
At the end of the day, we only hire the best of the best at Always Best Care. Whether you need home care in Riley, IN 24-hours a day or only need a respite for a couple of hours, we are here to serve you.
When you're ready, we encourage you to contact your local Always Best Care representative to set up a Care Consultation. Our Care Coordinators would be happy to meet with you in person to get to know you better, discuss your needs, and help put together a personalized Care Plan specific to your needs.
Pat Riley and Anthony Mason had enough fights to rival those of hockey enforcers. Their relationship was never particularly smooth. What would you expect from two fiery competitors who were both stubborn in their own ways? Mase always played with an edge and the Godfather was never afraid to mix it up just to get his point across.For the most part, they kept their differences manageable. But it only takes one spark to set everything on fire. That single trigger happened in 1995 and then spilled right into the postseason.The fig...
Pat Riley and Anthony Mason had enough fights to rival those of hockey enforcers. Their relationship was never particularly smooth. What would you expect from two fiery competitors who were both stubborn in their own ways? Mase always played with an edge and the Godfather was never afraid to mix it up just to get his point across.
For the most part, they kept their differences manageable. But it only takes one spark to set everything on fire. That single trigger happened in 1995 and then spilled right into the postseason.
The fight was so severe that Riley threw Mason out of practice and suspended him, prompting Mason to desperately try to leave New York.
Bickering around the Riley Knicks wasn’t uncommon. The Godfather wanted that edge and preached it. He found a bit of conflict beneficial in the long run and would rather go to war with it than without it.
But then, there’s a good kind of bickering and the bad kind. Between Riley and Mason, it’s definitely the latter. It had gotten so bad that they even exchanged words during wins.
In a game versus the Denver Nuggets on March 14, 1995, Pat and Anthony went at it. Riley criticized Mason for what the latter called an “inconsequential play.” Mase got irritated that the coach singled him out when they were comfortably ahead, 48-33.
The frustration carried into the second half, and it boiled over after another defensive lapse with 8:29 left in the third quarter. Again, the Knicks were never in trouble at any point during that contest.
The two went at each other verbally in front of the Knicks bench. According to two sources, Mason had finally had enough and delivered a blunt message to Riley: “Call my agent. I want out of here right now.”
If you think the five-time NBA champion head coach would budge, think again. Riley doubled down by instructing Mason to go cool down in the locker room. 6’8″ forward knocked over a stanchion as he headed to the back, visibly very upset.
After that incident, Riley suspended Mason, but not after he had some sharp words for the forward in front of the media.
“Sometimes you have a player who… everybody sees the package and sees him produce,” Riley said, per The New York Daily News. “But no longer is just that talent going to transcend the conduct. It isn’t what happened (Tuesday) night. It’s what has happened for 3 1/2 years. So we revisit this all the time, and no longer should it be kept inside and try to be corrected inside. And now it’s out, and it’s going to stay out. We’re not going to tolerate that kind of attitude in any kind of player.”
“We’ve got three or four other guys that better get theirs adjusted really quickly, too. Otherwise, we’re not going to win anything,” Riles added.
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Shane Garry Acedera
As heated as their confrontations were, Mason stayed with the Knicks for another season. Perhaps Riley’s departure had something to do with it, as he found greener pastures in Miami in the summer heading into the 1995-96 season.
Mase blossomed under new coach Don Nelson. Nellie, forever a proponent of fast-paced offense, tried to build the Knicks’ offense around Mason and away from Patrick Ewing. As a result, the 1988 third-round pick had the best season of his career. He averaged 14.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists, playing nearly 43 minutes per night.
But what about his run-ins with Riley? Did Mase ever forget about that? You bet. Years after their frequent dust-ups in the Big Apple, the two competitors put the past behind them and moved on.
In fact, Riley reached out to Mason in the summer of 2000 and brought him to South Beach. Mase put together his first and only All-Star season with the Heat under Riley, averaging 16/10/3.
“I think Pat saw a lot of himself in Anthony, and, really, they were the same guy,” Mason’s long-time agent, Don Cronson, said. “That’s why they butted heads as often as they did. They were both blue-collar guys and fighters. Anthony told me, ‘Pat Riley was the one who gave me my chance. He’s the one who saw something in me when nobody else did.'”
For all the arguments they had, Mase was a real one for not forgetting what Riles did for him. And eventually, the respect between the two outweighed the old grudges, as it should.
Gary Vitti details the differences between Pat Riley and Phil JacksonVitti won three titles with Pat Riley and five more with Phil Jackson.
Jan Rey T. Obguia
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The USC Trojans and head coach Lincoln Riley know the pressure is on in 2026. Since he came over to Southern Cal in 2022, he has yet to make the College Football Playoff.Their best season came in 2022, when they posted an 11-3 record, but after that, USC hasn't had the same success. Everyone inside the Trojan program knows it's a playoff-or-bust campaign, and senior quarterback Jordan Maiava is the one who could lead USC to the place they need to be.USC's CFP hopes hinge on what Jayden Maiava gives Lincoln Riley in 2026...
The USC Trojans and head coach Lincoln Riley know the pressure is on in 2026. Since he came over to Southern Cal in 2022, he has yet to make the College Football Playoff.
Their best season came in 2022, when they posted an 11-3 record, but after that, USC hasn't had the same success. Everyone inside the Trojan program knows it's a playoff-or-bust campaign, and senior quarterback Jordan Maiava is the one who could lead USC to the place they need to be.
Maiava is going into his third season at USC, but last year was easily his best one. Across 13 starts, he led the Big Ten in passing yards (3,711) with 24 passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He completed 65.8 percent of throws with an impressive 14.0 yards per completion.
He wasn't afraid to push the ball downfield, which led the offense to average 35.7 points per game with 465 total yards of offense. Although USC lost Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane to the NFL draft, they still have a lot of continuity on offense. Nine starters will be back.
That isn't anything to scoff at and should help out this roster on the field. Throughout Riley's coaching career, he has had guys like Caleb Williams, Kyler Murray, and Jalen Hurts under his belt.
All those players had plenty of success playing within Riley's scheme. There's proof that Riley's system gets a lot of production from the quarterback, yet at the same time, the results haven't followed at USC.
At USC, Riley has compiled a 35-18 record. Throughout the summer, Riley has expressed that the team has enough talent to win in 2026. But words don't matter. The only thing that holds weight is what takes place on the field.
USC's schedule isn't easy, as they have to play Oregon, Penn State, Ohio State, and Indiana. Those are some big-time matchups, and if they want to secure a Playoff spot, they have to win at least three of these games. What Maiava does in these games will help determine the outcome.
Obviously, the Trojans will need him to play at a high level, and a lot of that will fall on Riley's shoulders as well. Did the game plan put him in the best positions to succeed? Did Riley have a good flow of calling plays and when to adapt?
These questions will only get answered when the games kick off. Meanwhile, Maiava will need to rise to the occasion. The College Football Playoff features 12 teams. That gives the Trojans a ton of room to get into the dance.
The reason Riley got the job at USC was to bring the program back to its glory days. That hasn't happened yet, and for that to take place in 2026, Maiava will need to be one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. He showed he has the talent to do so, and now it's time to translate it onto the field.
The 2026 college football season is officially underway, and with it returns one of the greatest sporting traditions: criticizing crowd sizes and attendance.This season, the culprit was USC, as the Trojans opened their 2026 season at home against San Jose State. Because college football scheduling is no longer based on what makes sense given a location, local time zones, time of year, or weather, NBC picked the 12pm Pacific Time window for kickoff.That's always a tough time for Southern California locals, because Saturday traff...
The 2026 college football season is officially underway, and with it returns one of the greatest sporting traditions: criticizing crowd sizes and attendance.
This season, the culprit was USC, as the Trojans opened their 2026 season at home against San Jose State. Because college football scheduling is no longer based on what makes sense given a location, local time zones, time of year, or weather, NBC picked the 12pm Pacific Time window for kickoff.
That's always a tough time for Southern California locals, because Saturday traffic in the Los Angeles area, particularly for events around downtown LA, makes getting in and out of venues an hours-long slog. Combine it with the $60 parking a mile away, a poor quality opponent, and one of the most brutal weather days of the year, with atrocious heat and humidity, and it's a recipe for reduced attendance.
(Louis Lopez/Cal Sport Media/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect)
That's exactly what happened. And the college football world rushed to do what it does best, roast other programs. The crowd at kickoff was extremely small, though, it did fill in a bit more by late in the first quarter. Unsurprisingly, with the game already decided in the first 15-18 minutes and the awful conditions, it quickly emptied out.
Many commentators rushed to say that the low turnout is why USC will not make the College Football Playoff this year, while adding that Lincoln Riley is officially on the hot seat. And to be fair to those uninformed opinions, there's little doubt that USC's underwhelming performances in recent years contributed to the poor showing. But one thing those commentators, and most fans, completely misunderstand, is that attendance and fan support has quite literally nothing to do with team quality.
This phenomenon though, continues to have widespread support across college football. Fans show up to watch Arkansas on seven days a year, therefore Arkansas must be a good program with good players. Does it matter if the Razorbacks finish 2-10? Does that make them a bad program? Apparently not, because their fans showed up to watch them lose.
Then there's the other, oft-ignored part of this discussion: fan attendance at big programs in hot weather in the heat has often been a problem. Here's how one story covering the Florida Gators' struggles to fill up their stadium for noon kickoffs described "The Swamp."
"As I enter the stadium a few minutes before kickoff, the audio system rumbles through the cement pillars and I’m ready for an overwhelming surge of energy. But when I make it out into the open air, the first thing I notice are empty metal bleachers reflecting rays of bright Florida sun. While the alumni section I’m standing in is filled, the top third of the student section opposite me is mostly empty, a scatter-plot weighted toward the bottom. I was expecting the frenzied vibe of a rave; what I’ve got is more of a buzzy mimosa brunch."
And that was a highly attended game, according to Tyler Nettuno, a reporter for the school paper explained.
"The general admission seats above both end zones are patchy, too. 'For a 12 o’clock game,' Nettuno continues, 'this is the best I’ve seen it.'"
The story goes on to point out that "Ohio State, Virginia Tech and Ole Miss suffered declines of greater than 5%" in attendance. As well as the fact that Clemson didn't sell out a single game in a year they won a National Championship. While Ohio State fans explained they'd rather go sit at a bar with friends or at home instead of watching a blowout win over Florida Atlantic.
In 2025, crowd shots of a mostly empty "Death Valley" at LSU went viral on college football Twitter.
(USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Attendance has little to do with whether a team is headed for a playoff spot. And the reasons behind the national decline in attendance are obvious. It's easier than ever to watch games through streaming services on phones. Ticket prices continue to increase, even as everyday life becomes increasingly expensive. Staying home in bad weather allows fans to track other games instead of being in miserable heat to watch a blowout win. Many younger alumni aren't as dedicated to football either, as schools bolster their academic admission standards or push for more STEM students.
Not to mention that we ran this experiment, on how much crowds impact outcomes in home games during COVID, and found that, at least in the NFL, league average home field advantage essentially stayed almost identical from 2019-2020. Fans and fan noise just don't matter as much as they'd like to believe.
So with that established, did the Trojans 42-26 win over San Jose State tell us anything about their hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff? No, not really.
(Harry How/Getty Images)
Opposing fans ready to bury USC and Riley, particularly the ever-disgruntled Oklahoma fans, jumped all over the poor fourth quarter performance. And justifiably so. But when USC's starters were in the game, they dominated.
In the first half, for example, San Jose State had five drives. On four of them, the Spartans gained a total of 36 yards. Their first quarter "offense" was six plays for 11 yards and two punts. They did have one drive go 66 yards on 14 plays before a turnover on downs. But overall, their offense averaged just 3.9 yards per play and gained 102 total yards. Their first drive of the third quarter was a three-and-out with six yards. So while the starters and second string were in the game, SJSU gained 108 yards on 29 plays.
To their credit, the Spartans were able to move the ball against the Trojans' backups and third stringers, with plenty of USC's players held out entirely due to injury concerns. But for those quick to bury them for 2026, we can look at some recent history to show that isn't warranted.
In 2024, Oregon had a 17-14 lead over Idaho midway through the fourth quarter. They needed their starters to score a final touchdown with five minutes left to win 24-14 as 45.5 point favorites. They made the playoff at the end of that season.
In 2025, the eventual SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs had a two possession lead over FCS team Austin Peay until midway through the fourth quarter, leaving their starters in before securing an unimpressive 28-6 win as 48.5 point favorites.
Also in 2025, eventual undefeated national champions Indiana beat Old Dominion 27-14 in week one and allowed 218 rushing yards and 314 total yards with nearly seven yards per play. They were 24-point favorites.
So are there reasons for concern around USC? Sure, the backups will be needed throughout the season, and the poor fourth quarter wasn't encouraging. Riley hasn't exactly given fans reasons for confidence at SC, and it's clear that their secondary needs work.
But Jayden Maiava was 25/29 for 286 yards and two touchdowns without playing a particularly impressive game, by his standards. The Trojans spread the ball around, and their impressive freshman defensive end Luke Wafle made national highlights. Nobody knows whether SC can make the leap and make the playoff, despite their difficult schedule. There is one thing for certain though, an understandably bad crowd and fourth quarter didn't tell us anything.
The 2026 college football season is officially underway, and with it returns one of the greatest sporting traditions: criticizing crowd sizes and attendance.This season, the culprit was USC, as the Trojans opened their 2026 season at home against San Jose State. Because college football scheduling is no longer based on what makes sense given a location, local time zones, time of year, or weather, NBC picked the 12pm Pacific Time window for kickoff.That’s always a tough time for Southern California locals, because Saturday...
The 2026 college football season is officially underway, and with it returns one of the greatest sporting traditions: criticizing crowd sizes and attendance.
This season, the culprit was USC, as the Trojans opened their 2026 season at home against San Jose State. Because college football scheduling is no longer based on what makes sense given a location, local time zones, time of year, or weather, NBC picked the 12pm Pacific Time window for kickoff.
That’s always a tough time for Southern California locals, because Saturday traffic in the Los Angeles area, particularly for events around downtown LA, makes getting in and out of venues an hours-long slog. Combine it with the $60 parking a mile away, a poor quality opponent, and one of the most brutal weather days of the year, with atrocious heat and humidity, and it’s a recipe for reduced attendance.
That’s exactly what happened. And the college football world rushed to do what it does best, roast other programs. The crowd at kickoff was extremely small, though, it did fill in a bit more by late in the first quarter. Unsurprisingly, with the game already decided in the first 15-18 minutes and the awful conditions, it quickly emptied out.
Many commentators rushed to say that the low turnout is why USC will not make the College Football Playoff this year, while adding that Lincoln Riley is officially on the hot seat. And to be fair to those uninformed opinions, there’s little doubt that USC’s underwhelming performances in recent years contributed to the poor showing. But one thing those commentators, and most fans, completely misunderstand, is that attendance and fan support has quite literally nothing to do with team quality.
This phenomenon though, continues to have widespread support across college football. Fans show up to watch Arkansas on seven days a year, therefore Arkansas must be a good program with good players. Does it matter if the Razorbacks finish 2-10? Does that make them a bad program? Apparently not, because their fans showed up to watch them lose.
Then there’s the other, oft-ignored part of this discussion: fan attendance at big programs in hot weather in the heat has often been a problem. Here’s how one story covering the Florida Gators’ struggles to fill up their stadium for noon kickoffs described “The Swamp.”
“As I enter the stadium a few minutes before kickoff, the audio system rumbles through the cement pillars and I’m ready for an overwhelming surge of energy. But when I make it out into the open air, the first thing I notice are empty metal bleachers reflecting rays of bright Florida sun. While the alumni section I’m standing in is filled, the top third of the student section opposite me is mostly empty, a scatter-plot weighted toward the bottom. I was expecting the frenzied vibe of a rave; what I’ve got is more of a buzzy mimosa brunch.”
And that was a highly attended game, according to Tyler Nettuno, a reporter for the school paper explained.
“The general admission seats above both end zones are patchy, too. ‘For a 12 o’clock game,’ Nettuno continues, ‘this is the best I’ve seen it.'”
The story goes on to point out that “Ohio State, Virginia Tech and Ole Miss suffered declines of greater than 5%” in attendance. As well as the fact that Clemson didn’t sell out a single game in a year they won a National Championship. While Ohio State fans explained they’d rather go sit at a bar with friends or at home instead of watching a blowout win over Florida Atlantic.
In 2025, crowd shots of a mostly empty “Death Valley” at LSU went viral on college football Twitter.
Attendance has little to do with whether a team is headed for a playoff spot. And the reasons behind the national decline in attendance are obvious. It’s easier than ever to watch games through streaming services on phones. Ticket prices continue to increase, even as everyday life becomes increasingly expensive. Staying home in bad weather allows fans to track other games instead of being in miserable heat to watch a blowout win. Many younger alumni aren’t as dedicated to football either, as schools bolster their academic admission standards or push for more STEM students.
Not to mention that we ran this experiment, on how much crowds impact outcomes in home games during COVID, and found that, at least in the NFL, league average home field advantage essentially stayed almost identical from 2019-2020. Fans and fan noise just don’t matter as much as they’d like to believe.
So with that established, did the Trojans 42-26 win over San Jose State tell us anything about their hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff? No, not really.
Opposing fans ready to bury USC and Riley, particularly the ever-disgruntled Oklahoma fans, jumped all over the poor fourth quarter performance. And justifiably so. But when USC’s starters were in the game, they dominated.
In the first half, for example, San Jose State had five drives. On four of them, the Spartans gained a total of 36 yards. Their first quarter “offense” was six plays for 11 yards and two punts. They did have one drive go 66 yards on 14 plays before a turnover on downs. But overall, their offense averaged just 3.9 yards per play and gained 102 total yards. Their first drive of the third quarter was a three-and-out with six yards. So while the starters and second string were in the game, SJSU gained 108 yards on 29 plays.
To their credit, the Spartans were able to move the ball against the Trojans’ backups and third stringers, with plenty of USC’s players held out entirely due to injury concerns. But for those quick to bury them for 2026, we can look at some recent history to show that isn’t warranted.
In 2024, Oregon had a 17-14 lead over Idaho midway through the fourth quarter. They needed their starters to score a final touchdown with five minutes left to win 24-14 as 45.5 point favorites. They made the playoff at the end of that season.
In 2025, the eventual SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs had a two possession lead over FCS team Austin Peay until midway through the fourth quarter, leaving their starters in before securing an unimpressive 28-6 win as 48.5 point favorites.
Also in 2025, eventual undefeated national champions Indiana beat Old Dominion 27-14 in week one and allowed 218 rushing yards and 314 total yards with nearly seven yards per play. They were 24-point favorites.
So are there reasons for concern around USC? Sure, the backups will be needed throughout the season, and the poor fourth quarter wasn’t encouraging. Riley hasn’t exactly given fans reasons for confidence at SC, and it’s clear that their secondary needs work.
But Jayden Maiava was 25/29 for 286 yards and two touchdowns without playing a particularly impressive game, by his standards. The Trojans spread the ball around, and their impressive freshman defensive end Luke Wafle made national highlights. Nobody knows whether SC can make the leap and make the playoff, despite their difficult schedule. There is one thing for certain though, an understandably bad crowd and fourth quarter didn’t tell us anything.
Back in 2021, when Lincoln Riley ran scared in the middle of the night from Oklahoma to USC, he swore he was leaving The Palace on the Prairie for what he would build into the “Mecca of college football.” Nearly five years later, that statement is clearly an even bigger lie than Riley’s annual claim that the Trojans are close to being a College Football Playoff contender.USC kicked off its fifth season under Riley on Saturday with a 42-26 Week 0 win over San Jose State. There weren’t many games to watch during ...
Back in 2021, when Lincoln Riley ran scared in the middle of the night from Oklahoma to USC, he swore he was leaving The Palace on the Prairie for what he would build into the “Mecca of college football.” Nearly five years later, that statement is clearly an even bigger lie than Riley’s annual claim that the Trojans are close to being a College Football Playoff contender.
USC kicked off its fifth season under Riley on Saturday with a 42-26 Week 0 win over San Jose State. There weren’t many games to watch during the preview of the 2026 college football season, so the nationally televised game on NBC stole the spotlight in Hollywood fashion, but not for USC dominating a terrible team, but because of the laughable attendance that witnessed the season opener at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which is now only sacred if two other teams are visiting for the Rose Bowl.
It was an afternoon kick at noon local time in L.A. that fittingly had the same crowd as a matinee movie, and the price for a ticket was about the same too.
“We plan on building the best roster in the country, and inside that locker room, the best culture in the country," Riley said during his introductory press conference in 2021. "(The Coliseum) is gonna be full. This will be the Mecca of college football."
The Coliseum is not the Mecca of college football. The Coliseum is the joke of college football.
The empty stadium went viral on social media, as college football fans mocked USC’s attendance and folks in L.A. hurled desperate excuses that would be inexcusable in SEC country, the real Mecca of college football. It was too hot. The opponent wasn’t good enough. The Trojans still need to prove themselves and the city doesn’t support mediocre. Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman is full no matter the weather, opponent or record.
Just listen to the dozens of fans screaming:
The announced attendance for the game was 51,144. We know those numbers are always inflated. Last year, USC’s average attendance for home games was 67,782 as the Trojans went 9-4 with a Big Ten schedule. The Coliseum has a capacity of 77,500, which has been reached only eight times in the Riley era.
In Norman, OU drew an average attendance of 83,532 in 2025 as the Sooners went 10-3 and returned to the College Football Playoff under Brent Venables, who replaced Riley. In four seasons leading the Sooners, Venables has only ever coached in front a sold-out home crowd. OU has had a sellout for every regular-season home game since the start of the 1999 season.
That streak will continue on Friday night, when the Sooners open their season against UTEP, a lackluster opponent, with a high temperature of 97 degrees. There are no excuses and empty seats when a place actually cares about its football team. The Sooners are the main event, while the Trojans are a sideshow.
Lincoln Riley left The Palace for a hollow relic.
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