Stanford Fans Eat Up Rose Bowl Tickets After Poor Showing At Pac-12 Championship

A Stanford fan base that "didn't get too excited about a Pac-12 championship football game on its own campus a week ago now has snapped up 35,000 tickets and counting" for the Rose Bowl, according to David Pollak of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. Stanford Dir of Ticket Sales & Services Rich Muschell said that the fact Stanford has not been to the Rose Bowl "since 2000 has created pent-up demand for the $150 and $185 tickets." Having "12,000 alumni in Los Angeles and 20,000 in Southern California overall have helped sales." Muschell noted that more than "twice as many Cardinal fans are already committed to the Rose Bowl than the 16,000 who were in Glendale, Ariz., for the 2012 Fiesta Bowl or the 13,000 in Miami for the 2011 Orange Bowl." Muschell anticipated that the "Stanford delegation could reach 37,000." The school "earned its Rose Bowl berth ... before a sparse crowd of 31,622" at the Pac-12 Championship game against UCLA, and the 50,000-seat Stanford Stadium "looked half full." However, for the Stanford athletic department, the "struggle to sell seats that night has been replaced by the frenzy to try and line up more for the Rose Bowl" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 12/7).

SELLING FAST: In Oklahoma City, Jason Kersey notes Oklahoma's "entire, 13,000-plus ticket allotment was sold out 16 hours after announcing its matchup with No. 9 Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl." OU's athletic department the next day announced it "would make $50 'Standing Room Only' (SRO) tickets available to season-ticket holders." Oklahomatickets.com Owner Scooter Proctor on Thursday said that his "SRO tickets are going for $192 and tickets with a seat are in the $320 range." Proctor said that some of the Cowboys Stadium suites "are going from $25,000 to $45,000" (OKLAHOMAN, 12/7). Charlotte Collegiate Football Exec Dir Will Webb said that he is "optimistic" that the Belk Bowl can "meet or exceed the game's 10-year average attendance of 60,000 fans." Webb said, "We’re at 46 to 48,000 now, and we have seen continued buying by Duke fans. It hasn’t dropped off. The Cincinnati people are telling us they’re confident they will sell their 12,500 tickets" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 12/7). Valero Alamo Bowl officials "reported a strong first day of ticket sales Monday after Texas and Oregon State were announced for the Dec. 29 game at the Alamodome" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 12/4).

ORANGE YOU EXCITED? In West Palm Beach, Tom D'Angelo noted Northern Illinois already has "sold out two charters planes to South Florida and is working on a third" for the matchup with Florida State in the Discover Orange Bowl. The university announced that it is "giving away tickets to its students." Each school must "purchase an allotment of 17,500 tickets" and NIU expects it "will have enough to cover fans who want to purchase tickets and the students who request a free ticket." NIU’s enrollment is "just more than 25,000" (PALM BEACH POST, 12/6). In Jacksonville, Garry Smits reported FSU is "selling half-off tickets" for the game to team boosters, season-ticket holders and students. The prices range from "$75 for the upper bowl of Sun Life Stadium to $250 [for] the top-end club seats" (JACKSONVILLE.com, 12/5).