The Vegas Kickoff Classic college football match between USC Trojans and LSU Tigers set a new attendance record for Allegiant Stadium yesterday (Sunday) as 63,969 fans watched the game.
This figure eclipsed the 61,629 mark registered for the home of NFL franchise the Las Vegas Raiders as it staged this year’s Super Bowl on February 11.
Fans in attendance yesterday were treated to a thrilling finale as USC scored a late touchdown to clinch a 27-20 win in week one of the college football season. The fixture was originally announced over three years ago and saw the Trojans play their first game as members of the Big Ten Conference following their move from the Pac-12.
USC and LSU had met only two times previously when the Trojans defeated the Tigers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1979, before LSU won the 1984 rematch in Los Angeles. LSU had never played a game in Las Vegas, while USC appeared in two Las Vegas Bowls (2001 and 2013) played at Sam Boyd Stadium and the 2022 Pac-12 Conference Football Championship at Allegiant Stadium.
The Vegas Kickoff Classic is owned and operated by ESPN, with a similar fixture having already been announced for 2027 between the Atlantic Coast Conference’s University of Miami and the Big 12 Conference’s University of Utah.
Sunday’s game had sold out last month, before organisers released a further limited amount of standing-room only tickets at the weekend.
