The Big Ten's inaugural football championship game in Indianapolis between Michigan State and Wisconsin “might go down as a success,” but headlines this week “have some observers wondering,” according to Michael Pointer of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Tickets were selling “for as low as $14 on StubHub, far less than the $50 to $175 full-price range listed on Ticketmaster.” Pointer asks, “Is Indianapolis a college football town?” The Big Ten “hopes so, because it has committed to having its championship game here through 2015.” Former Purdue football coach Joe Tiller said, "My attitude toward all of Indiana has never changed. It's a basketball state. I think it always has been." But local officials point out that the game “is hardly being ignored.” A total of “20,000 tickets made available to the general public July 30 sold out in two hours.” Michigan State “sold its allotment of 15,000 tickets,” and Wisconsin “returned 1,900 of its allotment to the league office.” Those tickets “were put on sale to the public Wednesday.” Indiana Sports Corp. VP/Communications John Dedman said that the group “is confident Saturday's game will be a sellout.” Pointer notes, “The question, though, is how many seats will be filled” (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 12/2). In Indianapolis, Scott Olson noted some suite owners at Lucas Oil Stadium “are angling to cash in” on Saturday’s championship game. Lower-level suites are being offered “at prices ranging from $13,000 to $28,000.” Colts suite holders “get first dibs to watch Saturday’s game from their private rooms by paying anywhere from $4,000 to $10,575.” Colts VP/Premium Seating & Ticket Sales Greg Hylton said that 11 of the 140 suites available for the game “had not been reserved by their owners as of late Tuesday afternoon” (IBJ.com, 12/1).
