USC Off Aztecs’ Schedule : College football: Trojans seek home game because of Coliseum renovation delay.

The football game between San Diego State and USC in 1992 has fallen through because of a delay in plans for the renovation of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and the Aztecs are also faced with the possibility of losing the University of Miami from future schedules.

Jim Sterrett, chairman of the Greater San Diego Sports Assn., confirmed Monday that the SDSU-USC game tentatively scheduled for 1992 will not take place. And Dave Maggard, Miami athletic director, said Monday that as the Hurricanes look to trim their schedule--as necessitated by their move to the Big East Conference--SDSU is one of the teams that might be cut. The Aztecs and Miami have played two games of a 16-game contract.

The GSDSA announced its intention last November to host a bowl-type SDSU-USC matchup, which was to have been called the “September Holiday Classic” and played Sept. 12, 1992. The plan came about because the Coliseum was originally scheduled to undergo renovation in 1992, leaving USC without a place to play its home football games.

The Trojans have only 10 games scheduled in 1992--one below the NCAA limit--and GSDSA approached them about adding SDSU in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. But plans now have the Coliseum undergoing renovation in 1993, and USC wants to schedule its 11th game at home.

“We worked real hard on it,” said Sterrett, who was spearheading talks between the two universities. “I thought it would be a real treat for sports fans here to have USC come down and play.

“By 1992, SDSU’s program under Al Luginbill would have had four years . . . I thought it would be a superb contest and a lot of fun, but it’s just not going to happen.”

The Aztecs had switched their 1992 game against Hawaii from San Diego to the islands to make room for USC. SDSU already had a maximum 11 games scheduled but, if one game is in Hawaii, the NCAA allows a 12th game. Now, the Aztecs will likely return to their original schedule, with Hawaii coming here.

USC has an opening in its schedule in 1993, but SDSU’s schedule that year is full--and includes Cal, Minnesota, Illinois and Miami.

Fred Miller, SDSU athletic director, was out of town Monday and unavailable for comment, but Sterrett indicated SDSU would not be interested in playing USC in 1993 because of the full schedule and the quality of SDSU’s opponents.

The GSDSA had planned to make the SDSU-USC game a sort of “Kickoff Classic” West, using the Holiday Bowl model in producing the game and offering seating priority to its members. The association hoped to have a “bowl-like weekend,” adding it to the major league baseball all-star game, America’s Cup and the World Cup Equestrian Championships scheduled for San Diego’s sports calendar in 1992.

The GSDSA had not started to sell tickets because the game had not been confirmed. Although he would not discuss figures, Sterrett said the GSDSA was expecting gate receipts to be close to Holiday Bowl range with ticket prices slightly under those for the Holiday Bowl. Last year’s Holiday Bowl tickets were $30.

“And we were planning on doing a lot with the USC alumni,” Sterrett said. “Weekend fun packages, things like that.”

Sterrett said the GSDSA is still considering hosting a kickoff-classic type of event in the future.

“We have not foreclosed that idea,” he said. “We have ongoing discussions with San Diego State. Fred has a lot of ideas and I have a lot of ideas. We may try to do something in the future.

“Our strong preference is to involve San Diego State, if it could work. We have a great deal of interest in San Diego State. We’re talking to Fred Miller all the time. . . . We’ll do something like this soon.”

As for SDSU-Miami, the Hurricanes are committed to playing seven Big East opponents by the 1993 season. Maggard said school officials hope to reach a decision on future football schedules by this summer, and that he and Miller have talked about the remaining 14 games on their contract. Maggard said Miami was looking at two or three opponents to cut, and that SDSU was among the possibilities.

“There has been (talk), but it’s simply discussion,” Maggard said. “We’re going to have to make some adjustments in our own schedule. I don’t know where it’s going to be.”

Regardless, SDSU continues to make adjustments in its schedule. Although he said recently that nothing is imminent, Miller has been involved in ongoing discussions about SDSU playing in the Japan Bowl in December, 1992, possibly against Wyoming.