Virginia Tech recently "crossed the 20,000 ticket mark in sales" for next year’s Battle at Bristol -- the VT-Tennessee college football game at Bristol Motor Speedway -- and the school has a total "40,000 ticket allotment, as does Tennessee," according to Andy Bitter of the ROANOKE TIMES. Tennessee "already sold out" its share, mostly because it was not as "restrictive as Tech was about who could buy them." Only football season-ticket holders or Hokie Club members "can buy tickets through Oct. 1," and sales of remaining tickets to the general public "won’t start until after the new year." VT AD Whit Babcock: "Maybe in hindsight we were a little too tight on that. But with a year to go, we’re not too concerned about selling those tickets." Babcock "urged fans to buy tickets, since Tech’s payout for the game" -- potentially up to $4.3M -- is "on a sliding scale based on how many tickets it sells" (ROANOKE TIMES, 8/12). In Virginia, Norm Wood notes the game "is expected to draw more than 150,000 fans, which would be the largest crowd ever gathered at a college football game" (Hampton Roads DAILY PRESS, 8/12).
BIG STAGES: Longtime Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer said that between the buzz surrounding the Battle at Bristol and the upcoming home opener against Ohio State, it is an "exciting time" at the school. Beamer: "The Ohio State game is the most anticipated game ever in Blacksburg. We’ve had some big opening games, but I don’t know if there has ever been anything like this with a No. 1 team in the country." In Tennessee, Jeff Birchfield reports Beamer also "is still beaming" about the Battle at Bristol. Beamer: "It’s fun for our program to play in a game, one of a kind, in front of the largest crowd ever" (JOHNSON CITY PRESS, 8/12).
