The USC football team is bringing more than California fans to Lincoln this fall.

It’s also bringing West Coast prices.

Regular visitors to Lincoln’s downtown hotels made that discovery when booking rooms for the weekend of Sept. 15, when Southern California plays Nebraska at Memorial Stadium.

Fans are paying roughly $1,300 for a cozy three-night stay at Embassy Suites — breakfast and tailgate party included.

At The Cornhusker Marriott, it’s as much as $1,200 for three nights. It’s a mere $600 for two nights at the Holiday Inn Downtown.

Yes, in Lincoln.

“It’s a supply and demand thing,” said Jeff Maul, executive director of the Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau. “(The fans) want to stay close to the field, and they want to be downtown.

“It surprises me, though.”

Although the Journal Star has heard from some out-of-town Husker fans who said they were canceling plans to attend the USC game in favor of a “cheaper” weekend, Maul said he’s heard no complaints from the public about the higher-than-normal prices.

Fans apparently haven’t griped much to the University of Nebraska, either. Michelle Wade, assistant to Chancellor Harvey Perlman, said the chancellor’s office hasn’t heard a peep.

In fact, Embassy Suites — with a rate of $429 a night, and a three-night minimum stay — has sold more than 90 percent of its inventory, said general manager Steve Hilton.

“We sold almost instantly,” said Hilton, noting many rooms were sold to USC alumni and other USC-affiliated groups. “It’s amazing how much demand came through.”

Hilton, though, said those top-dollar rates are not reflected on local partnerships; Embassy Suites has a marketing agreement, for instance, with UNL.

“They generate the drive of the market, so certainly we’re going to be very respective to UNL,” Hilton said. “We have rates we respect with local friends. We’re not about taking advantage of local friends.”

There is no vacancy at The Cornhusker Marriott, where rooms were reserved for $359 and $379 a night (depending on what floor), with a three-night minimum. General manager Norbert Gruener said rooms were sold within six hours of availability, with at least half going to Californians.

“I’ve got a waiting list a mile long,” Gruener said.

Some 40 rooms are still available at the Holiday Inn Downtown, which is charging $299 a night, with a two-night minimum. General manager Joel Schossow admitted that perhaps his hotel “missed out” after hearing of competitors’ rates and sales, but said prices would stay put for the remaining rooms.

“We could probably ask $329, $339 for the final 40 rooms and do that,” Schossow said, “but we won’t. Two-ninety-nine is reasonable for us.”

Neither Maul nor the three general managers could point to a time when room rates were this high in Lincoln.

By comparison, a normal night in downtown Lincoln could range from $129 to $139 a night. It’s higher for football weekends — anywhere from $179 at The Cornhusker Marriott for the Nevada game to $259 at Embassy Suites for Texas A&M. The standard rate for most, but not all, Big 12 Conference games at the Holiday Inn Downtown is $249. Minimum-stay requirements are common at all three hotels, but vary, depending on the opponent and game time.

“What pushes that demand way up,” Schossow said, “is when the opposing team travels well.”

Which Trojan fans are apparently planning to do. USC is also the highest-profile, nonconference opponent to visit Nebraska since Penn State in 2002, pushing demand even higher.

“They’re fanatics,” Maul said, “and they’ll do whatever it takes.”

Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.