Sports · American Football · 1 hr ago
UCLA's unbeaten season draws criticism over low Rose Bowl attendance
Former UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman criticized the Bruins' low home attendance as the team remains unbeaten.
At their Oct.
31 game against Nevada, UCLA drew 24,611 fans to the Rose Bowl, which holds more than 100,000.
The Bruins are ranked No.
8 and are in Bob Chesney's first season as head coach.
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava is out for the season, but UCLA has continued winning with Ty Dieffenbach and Wayne Knight on offense and a strong defense.
The team is pursuing a Big Ten title and College Football Playoff place, despite limited crowds and uncertainty about the playoff selection process.
Chesney says the team must keep winning and work to connect students and fans with the players.
UCLA hosts Illinois next, then visits Michigan on Nov.
21 and plays rival USC on Nov.
28.
Unbeaten UCLA drew a season-low 24,611 fans for its Oct. 31 home win over Nevada at the Rose Bowl.
Former UCLA star Troy Aikman called the attendance embarrassing, saying a crowd of about 25,000 made the stadium seem empty.
Coach Bob Chesney said the team and campus community needed to do more to build fan engagement.
UCLA was ranked No. 8 and pursuing a Big Ten Championship appearance and a College Football Playoff berth.
The Bruins were scheduled to host Illinois before traveling to Michigan and then facing USC.
- Who
- UCLA’s unbeaten football team, with attendance criticized by former Bruins player Troy Aikman.
- What
- The Bruins drew 24,611 fans for their home win over Nevada, prompting criticism about low attendance.
- When
- Oct. 31, 2026; Aikman made his comments earlier in November.
- Where
- The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
- Why
- Aikman and coach Bob Chesney said the team needed more fan support and engagement; the sources do not state why attendance was low.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
UCLA beat Nevada at the Rose Bowl as a season-low crowd of 24,611 attended.
Troy Aikman criticized the low attendance on 96.7 The Ticket.
Bob Chesney said UCLA would focus on winning games rather than the selection committee’s first rankings.
CBS Sports reported on the attendance criticism and UCLA’s pursuit of a College Football Playoff berth.
- Nevada game attendance
- 24,611
- Rose Bowl capacity
- Over 100,000
- UCLA ranking
- No. 8
- Aikman’s crowd estimate
- About 20,000 to 25,000
- Scheduled home game
- Illinois, Friday night at the Rose Bowl
What people are saying
Little embarrassing that we were 7-0 going into last week's game (against Nevada)
We've got to win our football games, and we did that today.
We all got to do a better job of getting a little bit more involved