For a century, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has been the unshakable home of USC football. But a global sporting event is about to test that historic bond. The Trojans played the very first varsity game there on October 6, 1923, and since then, it has become the setting for countless rivalry games and historic moments. All those things will seemingly change with the coming of the Olympics. But their new location is just 8 miles away.

According to USC beat writer Ryan Kartje, the Trojans will likely play their home games at SoFi Stadium instead. The place cost a jaw-dropping $5.5 billion to build, and they won’t be the only ones using it. UCLA, the Rams, and even the L.A. Dons once used it. It won’t be anything new for these teams.

From 1946 to 1949, the Coliseum actually hosted these four football teams at the same time. For a few years, it was one of the busiest stadiums in the entire country, with games happening nonstop. But even if USC tried to wait things out until the Olympics were over, the timing just wouldn’t work for the 2028 season. The Paralympic closing ceremony is on August 27, 2028. It leaves workers barely two weeks to remove the $100 million temporary track and rebuild the grass field before USC opens its season on September 9.

According to multiple people who spoke with The Times, that timeline just isn’t realistic. One source even claimed, “Officially determined whether the Coliseum field could be ready later in the fall, perhaps to host a portion of USC’s 2028 home schedule.” Another report confirmed that SoFi Stadium “only venue that’s been discussed as a potential temporary home”.

It doesn’t help that LA28 chairman Casey Wasserman once called the setup “the most expensive and probably complicated thing we actually have to build” for the Games. So now, the SoFi stands as the only option where the NFL’s Rams and Chargers host their games. UCLA has already said it plans to ditch the Rose Bowl, its home since 1982, and move to the modern SoFi Stadium. Even though its lease runs through 2044.

Legal trouble mounts for UCLA

In a report shared by UCLA beat writer Ben Bolch, the fans’ loyalty to Pasadena is glaring. Of 1,040 votes, 79.5% favor staying at the Rose Bowl, while only 20.5% support the move to SoFi. This comes at a time when the Bruins are negotiating a deal with SoFi Stadium to play its home games, starting from 2026. Still, an uptick in revenue is seen as the major reason for this change.

UCLA currently generates $10 to $12 million in ticketing revenue from home games at the Rose Bowl. Moreover, SoFi has 70,000 seats with 13,000 premium seats and 260 luxury suites and promises new sponsorship and revenue opportunities. Yes, the reported revenue generated from this will be $25 million annually.

But this isn’t straightforward. As UCLA’s contract with the Rose Bowl doesn’t have a reported buyout. A month ago, reports emerged that the Bruins are ready to pay $80 million as a buyout. But their contract “prohibits exiting the contract or even negotiating with a third party.”

If the Bruins follow through and jump to SoFi in 2026, then by 2028, all major L.A. football teams could be playing under the same roof. It wouldn’t be the first time the city shared space, either. USC and UCLA split the Coliseum for 54 years before the Bruins headed to the Rose Bowl. Then for 33 of those years, the Rams played there on Sundays, too. If USC starts feeling like SoFi might get a little too crowded, the Rose Bowl is basically the only other option in town.