BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl Exec Dir Mike Nealy said that the Ohio State-Notre Dame matchup has “essentially sold out twice," according to Mike Sunnucks of the PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL. First, for the “regular capacity” of 63,400-seat at Univ. of Phoenix Stadium, and then "for the extra endzone seats installed for big games." That puts the stadium at “just under 70,000 seats.” Nealy also expects Chase Field "to be sold out" for Saturday's Arizona State-West Virginia Motel 6 Cactus Bowl. While some other bowls have “struggled with attendance, the Fiesta Bowl benefits from having Notre Dame and Ohio State’s national names and fan bases.” Having nearby ASU in the Cactus Bowl “also helps ticket sales” (BIZJOURNALS.com, 12/30).
DOWN BY THE RIVER: Valero Alamo Bowl CEO Derrick Fox said that Saturday’s game between TCU and Oregon has “produced some of the strongest box-office interest in the history of the game.” Fox: “We have tickets available at all price levels, but not a lot and I think we’re trending towards a capacity crowd.” In San Antonio, Tim Griffin noted TCU-Oregon will be “the first time in the bowl’s 23-year history [that] it will compete directly against a Spurs home game" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 12/29).
GET 'EM WHILE THEY'RE HOT: TaxSlayer Bowl President Rick Catlett said that as of Monday, “only 300 tickets remain for EverBank Field's lower bowl” for Saturday’s Georgia-Penn State matchup. He “expects to at least match, if not exceed, last year’s 56,310 that attended the Tennessee-Iowa game” last year (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 12/29).
